Secrets and Shadows 3: Losses and Gains
by Jaenelle Angelline
Summary: Andi begins life at Julliard but life never does run smoothly. FINISHED. Read, review please! Thanks!
1. Default Chapter

Chapter 1: Fight

                "One and two and…releve up, bourre back, open to fourth…"

                Andi concentrated on the teacher's words, doing her best to follow them and ignore her aching feet. At home with Ororo and Emma, she could stop when she got tired; here, at Julliard, she couldn't stop. She had to keep going.

                "Class ends in ten minutes," Rose said quietly from behind Andi. "Hang in there."

                Candace, over on Rose's left, sneered elegantly. "Tired? Little rich girl not used to having to keep up with someone with more talent?"

                Andi rolled her eyes and ignored Candace, but Rose spoke up. "Why do you have to be so mean? Come on, Candace, cut her some slack!"

The teacher clapped her hands sharply. "Miss Dawson, Miss Munroe, Miss Roth, no talking! Miss Munroe, your foot is sickling! Straighten it out or you'll break it!" 

Andi hastily corrected her offending foot and faced front, chastened. She might have been good, but here at Julliard she had to work to stay good. Candace was as good a dancer as her personality was bad. Rose was even better. Andi found herself working harder to stay in the good category.

The teacher clapped her hands. "…and four and five and rest. Good job, girls. Miss Roth, you need to work a little on your hip alignment; get one of those hip alignment belts. Miss Munroe, your foot is still sickling out; work on your turnout. Mr. Jameson, you need to work on your control in a pirouette.

"Now, as I'm sure you all know, the annual Julliard student show will be starting production in a few weeks. Most of the roles are already filled by our third- and fourth-year students, but it is our tradition to spotlight some of our best and most talented first- and second-years; therefore, some of the fourth-year instructors will be observing tomorrow's class, as well as the fourth-year dancers for the lead roles. Ladies, I want you all to be on your best behavior; no chewing gum, hair pulled neatly back, and most of all, no talking, and that does mean you, Miss Roth, Miss Andrews!" she said sharply to Candace and her friend Jenny, who had started talking excitedly to each other. The two girls quieted immediately, Candace looking sour, and the teacher continued. "Dress in uniform tomorrow, girls; Miss Dawson, black leotard, not gray!" Candace giggled, and Rose flushed. She was sensitive about the worn, faded condition of her only leotard. She went quiet, and Andi flushed pink for her friend's sake as the teacher dismissed the class. They did the customary _grande reverence _and then headed over to their bags to change back into their regular uniform for their next class.

"Can you believe it?" Rose whispered to Andi. "They're tapping some of us greenies for the school production! I know you can get in, Andi, I know you could!"

Andi shook her head. "You will, almost certainly," she said, pausing outside a changing stall and thinking. "You're their scholarship student, after all. And my guess is Candace will be one, too. She's good, even though her personality sucks."

"What about you?" Rose disappeared into the stall beside Andi to change out of her leotard and tights. Andi snorted and made a face in the privacy of the stall. "You're good too."

"Not as good as you, Rose," Andi said truthfully, tugging off her pink tights and pulling on her blue knee-high uniform socks. "And besides, I'm too tall. I'm just glad I've stopped growing, or they'd kick me out for sure."

"That's not true," Rose said stoutly. "You're every bit as good as I am. And you've got much better lines."

"But I still have problems with basic things like sickle feet and uncertain balance," Andi pointed out, buttoning her white blouse and pulling on her blue sweater. She gave the uniform skirt a last tug and stepped out of the stall, carrying her folded ballet clothes. She went over to her bag and stuck her clothes in it, checked her watch, and figured she had enough time to wait for Rose.

Rose emerged from the next stall a short time later and headed for her bag, still talking. "They almost gave you the scholarship, not me. So they think you're good too. I don't think they're really looking at your height." She unzipped her dance bag and reached in to shove her tights and leotard in. 

Her hand came out smeared with a thick black substance. "Oh, gross!" she cried, staring at her hand. Andi grabbed the bag, ran over to an empty sink, and dumped its contents out into the basin. Rose's scrunchie, elastic, extra tights, and pointe shoes were all covered with the sticky black stuff. "Oh, God, what is this?" Rose wailed, staring at her bag.

Andi reached in, careful not to touch anything, and pulled out an open bottle of pointe shoe glue. She looked at it, then sniffed. "It's glue," she said tersely. "And someone mixed ink into it. It's not yours, Rose, is it?"

Rose shook her head. "I use InstantJet, not DucoCement," she said. "Oh, Andi, I just bought those shoes a week ago! Now they're ruined, and tomorrow's the class observation!" Her eyes filled with tears.

Andi hugged her. "We both wear the same size pointe shoe," she said comfortingly. 'I've got a brand new pair at home I haven't worn yet. You can wear them tomorrow. And I bought you new leotards for your birthday; you can have them tonight, so you can wear one tomorrow. All you have to get is tights."

"But I used the rest of this month's money to get my shoes," Rose said. "I'll have to wear my old ones, the faded ones, because I can't get another pair."

Andi sighed. "The old pair you have are faded almost white, Rose, and the uniform specifies pink. They'll make you skip class if you're not in uniform."

"But I can't get another pair!" Rose wailed. "And I can't borrow yours, 'cause your legs are longer than mine. Oh, Andi, what do I do?"

"Here, Rose," said a voice at Andi's elbow. Both girls turned, to see Frances MacDonald, another girl from their class, holding out a pair of tights. "Here's a pair of mine. You can borrow them just for tomorrow."

Rose gasped in relief as she took the tights. "Oh, thank you, Frances, thank you so much, you have no idea, oh, god, who would do something like this?"

Andi's eyes narrowed as she saw Frances shrug hesitantly. "Fran, did you see anyone go near Rose's bag?"

Fran took a quick look around the bathroom, checking to see if anyone was around, then leaned in close to the two girls. "I saw Candace earlier tying up her shoe while sitting on the floor by your bag. I didn't actually see anything, but I'm pretty sure it was her. But don't tell her that I told you, please?"

"I didn't hear a word," Andi said grimly. "Here, Rose, put this in the trash, along with everything in it. It's ruined. Stuff your things in my bag; it'll all fit, and we live in the same apartment anyway. I'll lock it in my car; it'll be safe there."

The bell rang, and Rose looked up. "Oh, Andi, you're late for History--"

"It's okay," Andi said. "This is more important. Run along; I'll put the bag in my car." Rose ran off to her next class, and Andi slipped out the side door to lock her bag in her car's trunk, where no one could get at it. She slipped into History just as the late bell rang, accepted Mr. Kingsley's scolding without comment, and headed for her seat. Candace was sitting in her desk two rows behind Andi; and Andi was sure the girl was smirking, though she was careful not to look in Andi's direction. Andi was so furious she could barely see straight; it was a good thing History was one of her easy subjects and didn't require much concentration because Andi's mind wasn't on the War of 1812. As soon as the bell rang for lunch she shot out of her seat. Candace dawdled, smiling flirtatiously at the two boys accompanying her, and tried to ignore Andi as she sailed out of the classroom and headed for the cafeteria for lunch.

Andi grabbed Candace's skirt, which, considering how short Candace was wearing it, wasn't hard. Definitely a uniform violation; but Andi didn't care right now. "That was a horrible thing you did, Candace," Andi said to the blond girl angrily. "How could you do that to Rose?"

Candace opened her eyes innocently wide and said, "Why, Andi, I don't know what you mean! I didn't do anything to poor little Rose!"

"Liar," Andi said angrily, grabbing Candace's arm. "You put glue in Rose's bag. Admit it."

Candace yanked her arm out of Andi's grasp, angry. "And so what if I did? You can't prove it. Get off me. Rose shouldn't even be here anyway. She can't even afford decent clothes."

Andi was so angry she didn't think. Her hand shot out, slapping Candace on the cheek and spinning the other girl into a nearby locker. Candace's friends backed away as other students gathered in the hall, several of them chanting, "Fight! Fight! Fight!"

Candace struck back, punching Andi's shoulder and knocking her back into the locker across the hallway. Andi, furious now, dove for Candace intending to grab some of that blond hair and shake some sense into her, but was halted by a stern, authoritarian voice saying, "Stop!"

The crowd around the two girls parted, to admit a tall, well-dressed, distinguished man. Andi immediately stepped back and lowered her eyes; it was the principal, Jason Matthews. He regarded the two girls, sternly, then said, "What is going on here? This is a school for young ballerinas, not street thugs. Fighting is not allowed in here."

Candace spoke first. "She started it!" She pointed accusingly at Andi.

The man sighed. "Apparently you believe this is a school for kindergartners. That was a childish statement. I did not ask who started it; I asked what is happening. Answer my questions." As Candace opened her mouth to speak, he held up a hand. "You," he said, leveling a finger at Andi. "You will go first."

Andi lifted her head and spoke, her eyes avoiding Candace. "She put an open bottle of glue mixed with ink in my friend Rose's dance bag. I confronted her about it; she lied and said she didn't do it. I lost my temper; I hit her." 

"You hit her." It was a statement, but Andi nodded anyway.

"You." The finger swiveled around to point at Candace. "Did you do it?" Candace shook her head, but apparently the principal had a lie detector in his head. "You are lying. Miss--" he turned to Andi, unsure of her name. 

"Munroe," Andi said steadily.

"Miss Munroe," Matthews said. "Do you know where the bag currently is?" Andi nodded. 'Get it for me."

The glue had hardened after a whole hour of being in the trashcan; the principal tried, but couldn't get anything out of the bag. He finally ripped the flimsy plastic open at one seam and examined the contents. "One pair of brand-new pointe shoes, one faded leotard, one pair of tights. A scrunchie, I believe you girls call the things, and some hairpins and elastics." He looked up. "You, Miss," he said to Candace, "will remit to the owner of this bag a sum of money equal to the value of everything that is in it plus the bag itself; I shall speak to your parents to be sure you have done so." He closed the bag and dropped it in a nearby trashcan in disgust. "You, Miss Munroe," he said, "will have detention in my office tomorrow from three until four; we do not allow fighting in this school. Is that understood?" Andi nodded mutely.

He turned to walk away, but as the crowd of students parted to let him pass, he turned back. 'What is your name?" he barked at Candace.

"Candace Roth," Candace answered.

He nodded once, sharply, then pushed through the crowd. "I assume you all have classes to get to?" he snapped at them. They all scattered, leaving Andi and Candace alone in the hall. Andi shouldered her backpack, and headed off toward the cafeteria without a glance at Candace.

Rose was wide-eyed as Andi slipped into a seat beside her at their usual table with her tray. "Did you really punch Candace?" she whispered.

Andi nodded and bit into her sandwich. "She deserved it," she said between bites. "She ruined your stuff. Principal Matthews said she has to pay you back."

Rose smiled. "Wow! Cool, I can get all my own stuff again. But Andi, he gave you detention too."

Andi shrugged. "Rose, it's not a problem, believe me," she said.

Rose said, "Isn't your Mom going to be mad? I know mine would."

Andi thought about it. "She will, I think," she said. "But Mom's fair. She might not be happy that I got in a fight, but she'll understand why."

"But detention!"

Andi put her sandwich down. "Rose, there are worse things than detention. Trust me." Her eyes looked haunted as she remembered her parents. Rose looked at her expression, and wisely chose not to say anything. Both girls returned to their meal.


	2. A Warning

Chapter 2:

                Andi took her place at the barre the next day, starting her usual warm-up exercises. So engrossed was she that she missed seeing the three adults walk in, closely followed by four of the fourth-year students. The teacher clapped her hands for the class to begin, and Andi swept automatically into the grande reverence that started and ended each class. When she straightened up, she saw Ryan's twinkling eyes catch her gaze. Her heart jumped, and she suddenly found herself smiling. She hadn't seen him since before her audition; though she'd told herself that he'd probably forgotten about her, there had been a tiny irrational hope that he hadn't.

Candace whispered in her ear, "Hoping he'll pay attention to you? Think again, Andi, he's the best dancer at the school. Every girl wants to be with him. Every girl wants to go out with him. What makes you think he'll like you?" The nasty blond girl rushed up to the front of the line and took a spot right in front of Ryan, batting her eyelashes and smiling coyly. Andi saw Ryan's eyes flick over Candace quickly, linger over Rose in her new leotard and Andi's shoes, and then return to Andi herself. Andi smiled at him, then composed her expression into a semblance of calm and control as the class started.

Madame Michaud ran them through their usual combination of steps at the barre, and then they did a short series of steps in the center. The three fourth-year teachers gathered in a cluster, talking in low voices, then one of them clapped his hands for attention. "Two of our fourth-year students, Ryan Harper and Agnes Townsend, will demonstrate a series of steps that make up the pas de deux that we are rehearsing for the show. A select few of you will be asked to repeat these steps with the fourth-year dancers to test your compatibility and cooperativeness with a partner. Ryan, Agnes, if you will begin…"

Andi watched the pair intently. Ryan was a good dancer. He had a graceful, fluid way of moving that Andi wished she had. He flowed from arabesque's to pirouettes, finishing with a grand jete that made her want to gasp; his powerfully muscled legs could propel his body higher in the air than she'd ever thought possible.

"Now, class, if you will step back," said Madame, "We have decided that we want to see Rose Dawson--"

"Of course," Candace muttered under her breath.

"Andi Munroe, Candace Roth, and Allison Mayer dance with Ryan: Thomas Huber, Devon Thorpe, and Frank Temple will dance with Agnes. After you are done we will make our selections for the show."

Ryan took Allison for his first partner. She made a couple mistakes, but she wasn't bad. There was a scattering of applause throughout the classroom when she was done. Andi heard someone whispering behind her, "Clap the hardest for Candace when she dances with Ryan." She turned in disbelief and saw Jenny talking to another of the boys in their class, Joe. Candace's other friends were whispering the same thing to everyone else in the class. Rose caught Andi's eye across the room, and mimed an 'Are they for real?' gesture. Andi smiled, shrugged, and returned her attention to Agnes and Thom, in the center of the room. Thom was good; the best male dancer in their class. Andi knew they would choose him. 

Rose stepped out on the floor nervously as Ryan came forward to take her hands. Andi dropped her shields around her empathy and projected calm and control toward Rose. The girl evidently picked up on it, because she stopped walking so woodenly and started to relax into her natural grace. She didn't make any mistakes, and there was a smattering of applause through the watching students when she finished her dance. Devon Thorpe went next. Andi could see he was too nervous, too stiff; he stepped on Agnes's toe shoe once.

Candace came forward eagerly, claiming her dance with Ryan. She moved with supreme confidence and extraordinary grace; she did make a few mistakes, but she covered them up with extra flourishes that seemed a natural part of the dance. Ryan seemed annoyed with the changes, however; and a couple of times, Candace seemed to be getting a little too close. Andi watched him practically at arms length during one part where the pas de deux called for close physical contact, because Candace was almost rubbing her body up against his, like some of the dancers at Nightlight did. It was completely inappropriate for a dance class.

There was, however, massive applause for Candace after she got done; whether it was from an actual appreciation of her dancing skills or because her pose was almost openly seductive, Andi couldn't tell. The teachers didn't even bat an eyelash at the applause; they were already focusing on Agnes and Frank dancing. Andi thought it was likely they'd choose Frank too; he was pretty good.

Ryan came over and took Andi's hand, leading her out onto the floor. She closed her eyes as the music started, and tried to remember the steps Agnes and Ryan had demonstrated. "Andi! Open your eyes!" came a hiss, and she opened them, to see Ryan's blue ones looking at her with amusement. "You can't dance with your eyes closed!" Andi almost laughed, and kept her eyes open.

The dance was simple, though Andi had to concentrate on the combinations of movements. Her body slid against Ryan's sensually, with an almost fluid grace; there was something in her dance with him, some chemistry that was missing with the other three girls. Andi suddenly wondered if sex with him would be like dancing with him. It was almost a shock when the music ended and she realized she had to stop dancing. She was breathing hard, panting, as Ryan put her down, and for a moment she was seized with an impulse to kiss him. He felt the same way, too; she could feel the attraction between them. Madame clapped her hands, and the sound broke the mood. Andi pulled away from him and went to stand with the rest of her classmates.

Madame went over to the other teachers and conferred with them as a buzz of conversation started among the younger students. Ryan, Agnes, and the other fourth-year students went over to talk to the teachers, and Andi and Rose both held their breaths as the teachers turned toward them. Andi tried to read Ryan's expression, but they were set in a calm impassivity that was impossible to read. 

"We've decided," said the teacher. "Andi Munroe, Thom Huber, and Rose Dawson will dance in the fall show. You will receive revised schedules tomorrow reflecting the additional practices and rehearsals necessary." She turned away from the class, but was stopped by Candace's aggrieved wail.

"I danced better than Andi! So how come she was chosen and not me?"

Madame turned to the girl firmly. "Because your grades currently are not at the required level, and your attitude leaves a lot to be desired," she said. "Rehearsals will require missing some classes; and currently, you are not doing well enough in any of your classes to enable you to skip them. And we are training young ballerinas here, Miss Roth, not young streetwalkers. Your behavior while dancing was unseemly. Now go and change before you are late for your next class." She turned away from Candace, and the girl sullenly walked out of the classroom with the rest.

Andi dressed in her regular uniform hastily and raced out into the hall. As she had expected, Ryan was waiting for her. "Hey," he said, smiling at her. Andi gave him a shy smile back.

"You've gotten a lot better," he said approvingly. "The school's been great training for you, hasn't it?"

"Yes it has," Andi said. "Hey, is that really why they didn't pick Candace? I thought for sure that she'd be chosen."

Ryan snorted. "Candace? She's got an attitude about her I didn't like. She was actually trying to seduce me while we were dancing; I didn't appreciate that."

Andi said worriedly, 'I wasn't doing anything improper, was I? I mean…" she trailed off as Ryan shook his head. 

"You were fine," he said. Then he captured her chin in his hand. "Though, if it was you trying to seduce me, I wouldn't mind as much. In fact, I'd probably let you." He looked deeply into Andi's eyes, and Andi locked gazes with his. She was drawn into that incredible blue gaze, and lifted her chin unconsciously. He couldn't resist the temptation, and lowered his lips to hers. Andi closed her eyes as their lips met.

His mouth was soft against hers. She'd never been kissed like that before, and she found herself melting into it, overwhelmed in the sensation. A hunger awoke deep in her belly, and she arched her back up to his. 

The harsh ringing of the bell broke them up, and Andi started, turning to rush off toward her History class. Ryan caught her arm quickly. "Will you meet me at the loft this afternoon around four? We can start putting together a routine, and then maybe go out for dinner before I drop you off at home."

"I have an apartment with my friend Rose," Andi said. "I moved in with her. I'd love to…but I have detention," she said suddenly, deflated. 

"You, detention?" he grinned at her. "For what? Running in the halls?"

"I got into a fight with Candace yesterday," Andi said, slightly ashamed. "She poured ink and glue in my friend's dance bag and ruined her stuff. I got mad and I punched her."

Ryan threw back his head and laughed. Andi couldn't help smiling; his laugh was infectious. "I would have liked to see that," he said. "That prissy little stuck-up piece of baggage…oh…" and he went off laughing again. "Then I'll see you at the loft after you get out of detention. See you later!" he took off down the hall, and Andi started running toward her History class.

Detention was served after school in the cafeteria. Andi walked in, took a seat at the empty table, and looked up as the teacher came over to her. "Andi Munroe?" when Andi nodded, the teacher crossed her name off a list. "Your punishment is to write an essay on the importance of keeping your temper and the consequences of losing it. Two pages, front and back. You will hand it in, completed, and hour from now."

Andi bit her lip, made a face, but got out her loose-leaf binder and extracted two sheets of paper from it and began to write. An hour later she put the required essay on the detention teacher's table and hurried out, heading for her car to get over to Ryan's loft.

She found her way blocked by Candace and three other boys, all of whom had been in the detention hall. Andi hadn't even noticed. Candace had a nasty smile on her face. 'So, you think you're going to be the hot stuff in the show, huh?" Candace asked, adding an obscenity that made Andi flush hot. "Think you're all that, now, kissing Ryan Harper in the hall? Well, I got news for you, Miss Munroe: I want to date Ryan Harper. And what I want, I always get. So why don't you do yourself a favor and get out of my way now?"

Andi shook her head at the girl's blatant arrogance. "Maybe you'd better pick up your reality check, Candy," she said, deliberately using the nickname to piss the other girl off. 'Life isn't about getting everything you want. You wanted the spot in the show; you didn't get it, I did. You won't get it, so just forget it." She started to brush past Candace and the other boys.

Candace snapped her fingers, and the boy grabbed Andi's arm. Before Andi could react, they had shoved her down on her knees in the mud beside her car. Andi struggled, but she was no match for the three boys, and was helpless as Candace yanked her backpack off her back and opened it. Andi's books fell out into the muddy puddles formed by late January rain, and Candace stomped on them, grinding them into the mud with her shoe. Then the boys pushed Andi face-first in the mud, and Candace pressed her foot into the back of Andi's neck and flattened her into the puddle. "Get out of my way. Don't you dare pursuer Ryan Harper, or you'll regret it." She kicked Andi hard in the ribs, causing Andi to gasp in pain and curl up on the muddy ground. When Andi finally regained her breath and looked up, they were gone.

Rose gasped as Andi came in. "Andi! What happened to you!" without waiting for a comment, she grabbed her friend's muddy backpack and put it on the floor, tugging off Andi's jacket and following it with the sweater. "You need to take a bath, get all that mud off you…"

"I can't," Andi said. "Ryan's waiting for me at his loft. I just need a quick change of clothes." She flew into her room and changed her clothes. While she wiped her face with a damp cloth, trying to get the worst of the mud off her face and hair, she opened her backpack and spread her books out to dry, then inspected her papers. The report due in English Lit class the next day was ruined. Andi sighed. "I'll have to print out another copy," she moaned, staring at the ruined papers.

"I'll do it," Rose offered, seating herself at the computer both girls shared. "You go on. I'll get your stuff dried off and reprint that copy of your paper."

"Would you? Oh, thanks, Rose, you're the best!" Andi hugged her roommate quickly and ran for her car.

                Ryan was waiting somewhat impatiently for Andi when she arrived at the loft. "I expected you here a half an hour ago," he said. "I thought you would come here right after detention let out."

                "I went home to change out of the uniform," Andi said, dropping her bag on the small table in the corner and opening it to hide the flush on her face. She was a horrible liar, and she hoped Ryan wouldn't see the blush.

                He walked over to her. "Bathroom's over there for you to change into your dancing clothes,' he said. As Andi straightened up, holding her dancing clothes, he touched the end of her hair, where it was still damp and caked with mud. "Andi, what did you do? Your hair's all muddy!" he exclaimed.

                Andi hastily grabbed an elastic band out of her bag, gathering the muddy hair and making a sloppy sort of bun out of it. "I slipped outside the school," she said quickly.

                Ryan seized her arm and pulled the elastic out of it. More muddy water came out of the dark strands. "On your head? You slipped on your head? Come on, Andi, what happened?"

                Andi grabbed her elastic out of his hand. "I got in a fight outside of school," she said. "It was in the parking lot, so no one in school can do anything about it, okay? It was only a one-time thing; it won't happen again."

                "Mmm-hmm," Ryan said, unconvinced, but willing to let it go because Andi didn't want to talk about it.


	3. Close Dancing

Chapter 3:

                Andi soon forgot her troubles with Candace. Ryan was so much fun to be around; he made her laugh with his jokes and stories about life at Julliard and stories about the teachers. "…and Madame Dvorovenko said, 'Zis ees ze class for teaching young dancers, Mademoiselle Jones, not ze night club'!" He mimicked the aging Russian teacher's accent perfectly, and Andi laughed so hard she had tears in her eyes.

                "I can just see her saying that too," she wiped her eyes finally. "Oh, my."

                Ryan stood up from where he had been stretching out on the floor, and went to the small stereo set up on the table beside the small couch. He looked through the stack of CD's, finally choosing one and slipping the disc into the player. "This is the music they want us to use," he said. "Let's listen to it once through, and then we'll work out steps." Andi closed her eyes, listening to it, concentrating. She could see herself doing a _pirouette_ here, an _arabesque_ there; _attitude en devant_, rotate, and oh, that last soaring set of notes would be perfect for a swan dive…Eyes still closed, she began to dance to the music, following the inner promptings of her mind with her body. When the music ended she opened her eyes, and found Ryan looking at her amusedly. "Do you always dance with your eyes closed?" he said good-humoredly, smiling at her. "It could be a handicap when you're on stage."

                Andi flushed. "I listen to music with my eyes closed," she said. "It helps me get a feel for the patterns I see when I'm listening to it. The patterns give me ideas for steps." She looked at him through lowered eyelids. "I guess you think I'm nuts now."

                Ryan tilted his head. "On the contrary, I'm intrigued. You see stuff when you listen to music? I've never heard of that. Is that some special mutant power?"

                Andi smiled. "Oh, goodness, no. Though, now that you mention it, Mom and I both see music, and we're both mutants, so maybe that might be it, but I don't think its exclusively mutant-related. It's called synesthesia."

                "I think I've heard of that," Ryan said after a moment. "When you see music, do you see like patterns and colors and stuff flashing to the beat of the music, like in the movie Fantasia?"

                Andi frowned. "I've never seen the movie, so I wouldn't know," she said.

                Ryan grinned. "I loved that movie. I saw it when I was real little the first time, and that was when my mom decided I was going to be a dancer. And she was right, too. I'll have to rent it sometime so we can watch it together." He fell silent, going to the stereo and starting the CD over from the beginning of the song. "So how did you get interested in dancing?"

                "My mother enrolled me in ballet class because that was what all little girls from wealthy families did," Andi said, a trace of sarcasm creeping into her voice. "She didn't expect that I'd like it; after all, I hated the piano lessons and violin lessons and other crap she made me do; but I was good in ballet, and I liked it. She was completely surprised when my teacher told her she should arrange for private lessons for me so I could get into a good school."

                Ryan looked puzzled. "Your Mom didn't seem like the type to try to force you to do stuff you didn't want to do," he said. "Miss Emma, though…"

                Andi laughed at his expression. "Not Mom, it was my mother. My real mother, not my biological…oh, hell," she threw up her hands.

                "How many moms do you have?" Ryan said incredulously.

                "My biological mother dumped me off on the Sandersons' doorstep when I was a baby. The courts decided to give me to Mom…to Ororo…last year when…when…" Andi decided she didn't want to talk about it. "Come on," she said, jumping up. "Let's dance." She didn't see the thoughtful look Ryan gave her as he started the CD player and joined her out on the floor.

                He only put as much concentration in the dance as he had to; the rest of his mind was occupied with thoughts about the lovely young nymph twirling on the floor in front of him. She was an intensely private person; she didn't like to talk about herself; and she had no ego to speak of. He liked that; she seemed more down-to-earth than other dancers he knew.

                As the music swelled and started its spiral into the descant, he signaled to Andi. She knew immediately what he wanted to do and ran lightly across the floor toward him. He reached out, grabbed her in his hands, and lifted her, then lowered her into a swan dive, having to adjust his grip further up her ribs as he did so. Her cry of pain caught him by surprise. She wrenched away from him, her hands and arms going to the throbbing pain in her side, and he ran across the floor to stop the music, then returned to her.

                Andi sucked in air through gritted teeth, her hands pressed to the flaring pain in her side where Candace had kicked her earlier. Tears filled her eyes, but she stubbornly refused to shed them; she didn't want to appear weak. She fell to her knees on the floor, biting her lip hard to keep from crying out. Ryan was beside her, asking her what was wrong, but she shook her head; she couldn't speak at just that moment. She waited until the pain passed and she could breathe again, then shamefacedly climbed to her feet. "I'm sorry," she said nervously, fiddling with a stray lock of hair that had escaped her bun. "Can we try that again?"

                Ryan was behind her, and she felt his hand on her shoulder. In a quick movement he pulled the shoulder of her leotard down, exposing her bra straps as he tried to see what had caused her so much pain. Andi struggled to break away and pull her leotard back up, but he kept a firm grip on her other arm as he pulled her leotard down. She cringed as the black material pooled around her ankles and her upper body came into view.

                Ryan stared, shocked. His eyes were captured not only by the ugly rainbow bruise under her last rib, but also the stark white scar lines on either side of her spine, and the terrible white patches over her kidneys and on her shoulders. "Andi…"

                She wrenched away from him, tears filling her eyes, and tried to pull her leotard up. Ryan reached out to prevent her, catching her wrist, but she ducked away from him. He turned to look at her face, and was shocked by the sight of similar patches on her chest and on her diaphragm. "Andi…" his voice was raspy. He cleared his throat. "Andi, what happened to you?"

                Andi started crying.

                He settled her on the small couch in the corner and went to the small refrigerator in the corner. Opening the freezer door, he quickly dumped some ice into a plastic bag and wrapped a towel around it, then returned to her where she was lying with her head on the arm of the couch. He dropped to his knees beside her, and lifted one elbow. "Here. This'll help the swelling on that bruise." He tried not to flinch at the sight of her wincing in pain as he placed it as gently as he could on the bruised patch of skin. Andi hissed in a breath through her teeth, her eyes screwed shut in pain. After a moment, as the cold started to seep into her skin and the pain eased, she opened her eyes.

                Ryan reached out and gently wiped at the tears clinging to her lashes. "Can you tell me?"

                Andi scrubbed at her tear-streaked cheeks. "They're electrical burns," she said, her voice going flat. Her eyes stared into thin air somewhere just past Ryan's ear; he didn't try to keep eye contact with her as she told him about the electroshock machine and the cold cement cell in the asylum; about the starvation, the beatings, the emotional, mental, and physical torture she had endured, and finally, in a dead, flat, unemotional voice, about the rape and sadistic abuse when her parents had coldheartedly and callously signed her over to Dr. Hebron's care. Ryan didn't say a word until she was done, stroking her hand as his head rested on her knee. 

                "I'm sorry," he said finally, quietly. "Alexandra, if I could, I'd go kill the man who did this to you. No one should have to suffer like that. I see this kind of thing on the news all the time, but I've never wondered what happens to the victims afterward." He got up and pulled her upright, seating himself on the couch and pulling her head against his shoulder. She leaned against him, and they were silent for a while. "So how did you get that bruise?" he asked after a time.

                Andi tensed. "Oh, nothing. Just got in a fight."

                "After detention today?" Ryan cupped her chin in his hand. It was an intensely intimate gesture, one that made it impossible for Andi to lie to him, he'd found out. "You're a pretty strong girl, Andi, so who at school would be strong enough to take you on? Was it one of the upperclassmen?"

                "Don't have to be strong if you have someone else to do your dirty work," Andi said tartly before thinking.

                Ryan stared at her, then swore explosively and got off the couch. "It was that Candace girl from your class, wasn't it," he said. He turned in a tight circle to face her where she sat on the couch. "It was that bi--" he stopped abruptly. His anger was only making Andi feel worse. "Andi, tell me. It was her, wasn't it?" he stroked her cheek again, then tried to lift her chin to meet his eyes. She refused to meet his gaze, and her silence answered his question.

                "Oh, Andi." He sighed. "Life isn't easy for you, is it." He sat down on the couch beside her again, abruptly. After a long moment, he pulled her to his shoulder again, liking the feel of her head on his shoulder. His arm crept around her shoulder and touched her bare arm. And froze. "You're cold."

                The abrupt change in conversation topic startled her. "A little, I guess," she said hesitantly.

                He sighed. "There's no heat up here. How about I take you home? Didn't you say you've got a new apartment?"

                "Yeah," Andi smiled. "My Dad rented it for me. Rose pays half the rent and utilities there."

                "Will she be there now?" Ryan looked worried. "I don't want to disturb her."

                "Oh, we'll be fine," Andi said. "She was doing her homework when I stopped in, so that usually means she's going out with her boyfriend tonight. She won't be back until tomorrow morning. The only classes we have are our Saturday dance classes, so she'll come home and we go, then when we get back she'll disappear again."

                "So have you given any thought to dinner?" Ryan asked as they both got into his car, a blue Chevy Malibu. Andi had walked to the loft; her apartment was only a few blocks away. 

                She smiled at him, but her smile was wary. "After what you saw, you still want to hang out?"

                "Oh, more than ever," Ryan said. "I really like you, Andi."

                She grinned at him. "Then okay," she said. "Dinner sounds great. But I have to wash up first. I've still got mud in my hair."

                "Take your time," Ryan said amiably as he drove down the street. As soon as they got in, Andi dropped her dance bag on the floor by the front door and disappeared into the bathroom. He looked at the tasteful décor, tried out the portable barre set to the side of the living room, then made another ice pack and wrapped a towel around it. Then, out of sheer curiosity, he went to the two doors and opened the first one. Not Andi's room; he could tell by the bright pink roses on the messy bedspread. He opened the second door.

                Andi's room was as neat as a pin, a holdover form her days living with her parents. There was a deep blue spread on the neatly made bed, matching pillows, and a blue throw rug on the floor. Two blue slippers sat neatly next to the nightstand. On it was a brass tiffany lamp with blue iris flowers on the shade. A picture of Ororo and Andi sat on the table under the lamp.

Andi's books were spread out on the desk, and there was what looked like a hastily scribbled note on the desktop. He read it.

Andi, Thom's here, and he wants to go out. I printed up another copy of your English Lit report and put it in your folder. I dried out most of your books, but the covers were ruined by all that mud Candace dropped them in. Thom says he's got some paper bags at home; I'll bring them with me when I get home tomorrow so we can recover your books. Gotta run! Love, Rose.

Ryan put the paper down. So it was Candace. He'd straighten the girl out the next time he saw her, so help him…

The door opened, and he spun. Andi stood there, dressed in nothing but a towel, hair still dripping, just as startled as he was. "Oh, gosh!" she yelped. "Ryan!"

He held up the ice pack. "Uh…just came to put this down," he said. He stared at her, at the long slim legs under the towel, and licked his lips. Oh, he wanted to…

Andi bit her lip. After what he'd seen, he still thought of her as pretty? More than pretty. Desirable. Her eyes dropped to his groin, where a slight bulge seemed to be making his pants a little too tight for him, and she grinned. She crossed the room, dropped the towel when she got close to him, and kissed him. Startled at first, he responded quickly. The kiss deepened, and he edged her backward until she tumbled on her back onto her neatly made bed. Thoughts of how messy her bed was getting were quickly lost as he kissed her back with increased fervor, and his clothes and shoes fell to the floor beside her bed.

*                                                              *                                                              *

                "What about dinner?" Andi asked drowsily, much later. Ryan snorted as he delicately ran his fingers down her spine, tracing the scars lazily. "Ooh, that tickles."

                "Screw dinner," he said succinctly. "I want to stay here." He leaned over her back, gently kissing the scar patches on her shoulder blades, then tracing the long lines with his tongue. Andi shivered and arched like a cat, murmuring his name. He kissed the patches at the base of her spine, then turned her over and began applying kisses to the scars on the front of her body, starting with her chest and ending down between her hips. Andi moaned delicately, and the sound fired up his blood again…

*                                                              *                                                              *

                Candace came out of the front door, and smiled as she saw who was standing there. "Well, hello, Ryan," she cooed flirtatiously, reaching out to hook his arm in hers. "_So_ nice of you to come pick me up."

                Ryan yanked his arm out of Candace's grasp. "Listen, Candace," he said angrily. "I heard about that little stunt you pulled. I saw the bruise you left on Andi when you kicked her. She refused to tell me who it was, but I know it was you. Don't you dare try to tell me you didn't, okay? I know you better. Your sister warned me about you just before we broke up. I'm not yours, I don't want you, and I will never go out with you even if you were the last girl on earth. If you know what's good for you, you won't touch Andi again, because if I hear you're hurting her again, I'll tell my uncle and you'll get kicked out of school." He stepped closer, and dropped his voice. "You do remember who my uncle is, Candace, right? All I have to do is breathe a word into his ear, and you'll be out. I've never done that to anyone, no matter how much I disliked them, but Andi's been through too much crap to have to put up with your stupid tricks. So leave her alone. Got me?"

                He saw Andi heading out the door, wearing a pretty yellow sweater and a long black skirt with yellow daisies on it. Turning away from Candace wordlessly, he strode toward her, smiling. He never saw the expression of pure hatred cross the other girl's face.


	4. The Sandersons' Trial

Chapter 4:

                "Hey Mom!"

                Ororo turned, to see Andi come flying up the sidewalk toward her and the courthouse. She opened her arms wide and hugged the younger girl. "I missed you," she whispered into the long, silky brown hair.

                Andi hugged her back equally tightly. "I missed you too, Mom," she said. They remained that way for a long time, then Emma, standing behind Ororo, cleared her throat discreetly. Andi broke the embrace and smiled, walking forward and opening the door for the two women.

                Alex Cabot was waiting just inside the front door. "Are you ready?" she asked Andi. 

Andi took a deep breath and smiled nervously. "I guess so," she said.

The tall blond woman smiled. "Don't worry, you'll do fine. Just like last time. Actually, I think the jury's pretty much made up its mind already that Robert and Chelsea are guilty; the evidence from the doctor was pretty conclusive. But I still think it'll be a good idea for you to testify."

Andi walked into the courtroom, and there in the seats beside the defense lawyer were her parents. They both turned and looked at her as she came in, and Andi felt a little of her old nervousness creep in as she saw their stony glares. Ororo took Andi's hand, giving it a squeeze, and Detective Benson, over on Cabot's other side, gave her an encouraging smile as the judge walked in and brought the court to order.

Andi walked up and took the oath bravely, then sat down. Alex got up. "Tell us about your parents, Andi."

Andi started without preamble. "Mother and Father never wanted me. They were completely surprised when my biological mother brought me to my father and told him that I was his daughter, borne out of a one night stand with her. She threatened to tell the press that Robert Bruce Sanderson, the Wall Street power broker, had picked up a cheap whore to have sex with instead of his wife. So to keep my biological mother happy they took me in. They promised her they would love me and care for me; they did neither."

She took a breath. "The earliest instance I can remember of my mother hitting me was when I was five. I had sneaked into my mother's room and used her makeup. She came in and found me with lipstick all over my face and me smiling and asking her if I was as pretty as she was. She didn't answer. She grabbed handfuls of my hair and yanked me out of the chair, then dragged me into the bathroom and bent me over the edge of the bathtub. She put a bucket in there and filled it up with hot water, really hot water, and scrubbed at my face with a toilet brush. I screamed, because it hurt so bad, but she ignored me, and she pushed my head into the bucket. I tried to get away, but it wasn't until I had water in my lungs that she pulled my head up. As soon as I had gotten my breath back, she pushed my head in again. I don't know how many times she did it.

"I kept screaming that I was sorry, that I'd never do it again, and she finally listened to me. She dragged me into my room and made me bend over the back of my desk chair, then pulled my panties down and raised my skirt. She made me wait there while she went and got a long metal yardstick she'd had lying around the house, and she began beating me with it. She hit me all over my butt and my legs; I think I started screaming and begging after the tenth one, but I'm not sure. She threatened to tie me down if I didn't hold still, but I couldn't stay still, it hurt too much. Mother finally got dishtowels and tied me bent over the chair and beat me until I passed out."

Andi paused, staring down at her fingers, laced nervously in her lap. "That was pretty much the way she'd punish me; tie me down and beat me with the yardstick. But she didn't always hurt me to punish me. She'd humiliate me by making me choose between being beaten or sitting in a small closet under the stairs called the punishment closet naked. She wouldn't let me out to go to the bathroom, or eat, or anything. I remember one time I was in the closet for a week; Mother put me in there and she and Father went on vacation. I was always silent when I was in there; if I made any noise Mother would stuff dishtowels in my mouth and tie me to a ring in the wall. She did that that time; so none of the house staff knew I was in there. After six days I was so weak I knew I had to get out, no matter how I got punished when I did, so I started to bang my feet on the floor. The maid heard me and let me out. They gave me food and water, and put me to bed. I was still there when Mother and Father came home.

"The maid was fired for letting me out; and I went back in the closet for three more days." Andi sighed. "That was pretty much it, until I was ten. I hit puberty early; I had breasts at eleven. I started having my…time of month… at eleven and a half. 

"Mother was home. The maid found the toilet paper in the wastebasket and told Mother. Mother called me into her bedroom and showed me this book with all kinds of pictures in it; pictures of men and women having sex. I told her I thought that was gross. She told me to get used to the idea, because that's what men would do to me when I got older. She got this…thing…out that looked like the men in the book, only this had straps. She put it on and said she'd show me what it was like. I tried to fight, but she forced me to bend over the footboard of her bed and she used it on me. It hurt terribly; I remember screaming and begging her, but she ignored me and kept using it on me until I passed out. I woke up a while later in my own bed with a cotton bed pad on the bed under me. Mother told me to stay in bed until the bleeding stopped.

"It didn't stop for three days. Mother finally came in, saw how much blood there was on the bed, and left. She came back with an old bedsheet and ripped it up, then stuffed the pieces up into my body until the bleeding stopped."

One of the jurors put a hand up over her mouth in shock. Andi didn't see it; her voice and eyes dropped as she went on. "After that, whenever I got beaten, Mother would insist that I follow her and Father up to the bedroom they shared and stand in the corner naked. There was a mirror in the corner, and they'd make me…stand there…and watch…while…they…" She tried to continue, but her humiliation and pain were too much, and she buried her face in her hands and started to sob. Ororo half-stood, looking at Cabot pleadingly. Cabot stood. "Your Honor, I ask for a recess."

The judge nodded. "Court will take a fifteen minute recess."

Ororo rushed up to the witness stand, and Andi wrapped her arms around Ororo and cried. Ororo stroked her hair, murmuring soft, soothing noises in her ear. Across the room, she saw Chelsea and Robert, staring at Andi as though they wanted to hurt her. Ororo drew Andi closer, protectively. She wouldn't let them hurt her daughter.

The recess ended all too quickly for both Andi and Ororo. Andi took a deep breath as she began talking again. "I almost welcomed being able to go to the boarding schools," she said. "There, if I did something wrong, I wouldn't get beaten or humiliated. I didn't have to watch my parents….have intimate encounters after my punishments." She told the court about the boarding schools, her parents' carelessness, and then finally about the accident and about her parents subsequently putting her in the asylum. She told them about her parents never coming to visit, never asking about her, never checking up on her; and then their callous disregard for her when she came back from the asylum silent and withdrawn, bruised and beaten and emaciated.

Through it all, her parents watched stony-faced and unresponsive. As the defense attorney sat down from the cross examination, Chelsea made her first movement. "Ungrateful, selfish little--" she started to splutter. "We took you in when your own mother didn't even want you! We fed your greedy little mouth, bought you all those expensive clothes, we gave you a room…do you have any idea what we sacrificed for you? Trips to Europe--"

Andi sprang upright, disregarding Cabot's 'Objection!' and the banging of the judge's gavel. "Trips to Europe that you funded out of the trust Uncle Mike set up for me! Uncle Mike is my father, Mother, my biological father! That trust fund he set up was for me! For you to get me clothes and stuff! Instead you used it for your trips, your parties, your desires, while I got stuck with shabby clothes and no food! You enjoyed all that stuff while I sat in a closet in my own body waste with dishtowels stuffed in my mouth, my arms aching because you tied them too tight! You bought that big comfortable bed that I had to watch you and Father couple in, while I stood in the corner, naked and bruised and in pain because you beat me bloody!! _You raped me_ _with that horrible thing and took my virginity_! You hurt me, Mother! You promised to love me and instead you hurt me! _Why_!? **_Why didn't you just let my biological mother put me in an orphanage if you weren't going to love me?!_**"

The jurors were in tears. The defense attorney sat, stunned. Even the judge was visibly moved. Ororo hurried up to the witness stand and helped Andi down. The girl was shaking and sobbing, and Ororo wrapped her arms around Andi's head as they passed the defense table. Alex tipped her head out toward the hall, and Ororo guided Andi out into it, and sat down with her on the bench outside as Andi cried. Emma joined them, sitting on Andi's other side and projecting love, calm, and comfort as she rubbed her back.

They had been sitting out there for only half an hour when Benson and Cabot came out of the courtroom. "Are you all right?" Benson asked Andi. The girl responded with a weak smile and nodded. 

Emma looked at Alex and said, "What happens now?" 

Emma said, "I don't think we'll have to wait long for the verdict. There is very little chance that it's going to be anything but guilty. And when it does, they'll be going to jail for a long time."

                Andi sighed. "I hate to say it, but I'll be glad," she said as she nestled against Ororo's side.

                "I will be as well, Andi," Ororo said. "I cannot bear seeing what they put you through."

                Andi looked at her, puzzled. "Why?"

                Ororo tried to find words to explain how she felt. "Andi, seeing you in pain hurts me. When I see you cry, I want to cry too. I love you. What hurts you hurts me too. If I were injured or in some kind of pain, would that not hurt you?"

                "Yes," Andi said. "Yeah, Mom, it would. I'd hate it."

                "Then how do you think I feel?" Ororo said. "I saw your parents in there. Do you know how much I would like to strike them with a lightning bolt and electrocute them as they allowed Dr. Hebron to electrocute you? I want to hurt them as much as they hurt you. Andi, I may not be your real mother, but I love you as though you were my real daughter. Can you understand that?"

                Andi hugged Ororo tightly.

*                                                              *                                                              *

                "Hey, Mom," came a cheerful voice from the doorway.

                Linda Harper smiled as she saw her son come in. "Staying for dinner tonight, Ryan? Or are you going out with that new girl you've been hanging out with?" she said, giving Ryan a peck on the cheek and ruffling his hair. 

                "Mom!" Ryan said, blushing in offended dignity as he straightened his hair. "I'll be staying for dinner tonight; I want to talk to Uncle Jason."

                "Something wrong?" Linda looked at her son's suddenly serious face.

                Ryan hauled himself onto one of the high stools in front of the kitchen bar. "Yeah. The girl I've been going out with, Andi? Well, one of the girls in her class was picking on her friend. When Andi tried to stick up for her, she got hurt. Friday I saw a nasty bruise on her ribs where the other girl kicked her. Mom, Candace can't be allowed to get away with it. I want to talk to Uncle Jason about getting her kicked out."

                "Andi?" Linda tilted her head. "Andi Munroe?"

                It was Ryan's turn to be surprised. "You know her?"

                Linda Harper turned on the kitchen TV, and Ryan saw Andi, accompanied by Ororo and the DA leaving the courthouse amidst a barrage of reporters; Andi looked like she'd been crying. "She was testifying today in her parents' trial," Linda said. "This is the girl you're dating, right?"

                "Yeah," Ryan said, staring at the screen.

                Linda returned to where she was chopping up vegetables for dinner. 'That poor girl," she said. "I've been watching the coverage all day. Oh, her parents did some horrible things to her. Her own mother tried to drown her when she was five; and they beat her, they locked her in a tiny closet for days, they starved her. You know, I even heard one reporter say her own mother raped her when she was eleven."

                "They said what?" Ryan stared at his mother in shock. "How could any mother do that to her own child?"

                Linda shook her head. "I don't know. You know, there were times when I wondered if I was being a good mother to you and your brother; I think almost every parent thinks that once in a while. I just saw today what a really bad mother can do to a child. Thank God she's still all right."

                "She isn't," Ryan said grimly. "Mom, she's got scars all over. Her shoulders, her back, on her kidneys, her chest, her ribs, and on her hips. All the places where the skin is thinnest and most sensitive. I couldn't believe them when I saw them. She's been through too much crap to put up with more sh--"

                "Ryan! Watch your language," his mother warned, but it was a half-hearted warning at best. 

                Ryan continued, "...crap from this other girl Candace Roth. Uncle Jason can have her kicked out."

                Linda put down the knife. "Well. All this effort you've put into keeping everyone from knowing the principal's your uncle, and you're going to blow it all?"

                "Mom, I did that for my privacy. Privacy be damned when it comes to the girl I love. I swore I'd never use my influence with Uncle Jason to get rid of anyone I didn't like, but this is different. This isn't about me, it's about someone being harassed because she's better than the girl doing the persecuting. It's not allowed at school anyway; if any of the teachers knew Candace would have been out on her little butt as soon as he hurt Andi the first time. Andi's too secretive; she tends not to talk about herself much. I'm worried Candace will take advantage of that quietness and do something to really hurt Andi."

                Linda sighed. "I suppose if you're that determined, I can't stop you," she said. "But think about this. Is Andi going to like your meddling?"

                "Probably not," Ryan said, grabbing an apple from the bowl on the table. "But I'm going to do it anyway. She rarely sticks up for herself; someone's got to do it for her if she won't." He took a bite of the apple as he headed up to his room.


	5. A Beating

Chapter 5:

                Andi sighed as she sat down in her seat and pulled out her English book. Everyone the last couple of days had been giving her odd looks, and she knew it was because they'd seen her on the trial coverage. She'd tried so hard to shield her face, but the press had gotten pictures anyway, and everyone in school seemed like they knew her secret. People she'd never spoken two words to were suddenly acting like her best friend, and other people were acting like she carried a disease. She sighed. 

                The rehearsals for the show were a gift. Three hours a day, alone with him, away from the scathing remarks and odd looks; oh, she really needed those 'breaks'. Ryan knew about her trial, and her past, and he didn't care. He treated her the same as always; with respect and care. The press was everywhere, trying to get pictures of her. They had been warned off the Julliard campus, but Andi knew at least two of them were trying to shadow her movements. So she and Ryan had been having dinner either at his loft, or at her apartment when Rose was out for the evening. 

                Their relationship had gotten stronger; Andi had no complaints there. Even Candace had been unusually quiet, staying away from Rose and Andi. The other girl ignored them both during the few classes they did have together; after a couple of weeks Andi barely even noticed her presence. Freed from her worries, her dancing had gotten better; she was now on the receiving end of more of Madame's praise than criticism.

                And here came Candace, strolling in with her skirt rolled up under her shirt so it was several inches higher than the regulations allowed. Andi could almost see Candace's underclothing under the skirt. It disgusted her.

                Behind Candace came the usual string of boys, five this time, panting and drooling at Candace's heels like dogs on a leash. Andi shook her head, and beside her, Rose grinned and made a face. Andi smiled.

                Candace saw the face. Pink with anger, she sat down in her chair with more than necessary force, settling into a slump in the chair and frowning. The teacher frowned as she rose from her desk in the front of the room. "Candace Roth," she said. Candace looked up. 

                "Violation of uniform regulations again, I see," the teacher said tartly. "Another detention. I believe that makes three detentions, Miss Roth, and three detentions mean you're due for a disciplinary hearing in the principal's office. Young lady, don't make that face at me, or I'll make you stand up here making that face to the whole class." Andi turned in her seat to look at Candace, sitting in the back of the classroom with her arms folded and a disagreeable smirk on her face. The other students laughed at the expression, and Andi laughed too; Candace did look funny.

                "Now, class, open your books to page two thirty-five; we'll pick up where we left off yesterday in Act three of 'Hamlet'. Rose, please start reading." Rose began to read, and Andi bent her head over her book, never seeing the poisonous glare Candace was giving her back.

                After English was Chemistry; Andi hated the class because it was so boring. In fact, a lot of her classes were boring; she had already learned most of this from private tutors at home. As her grades were so good, she was allowed to skip the class to attend rehearsals with Ryan…which was really what she wanted to do anyway.

                "Hey," she grinned happily as she breezed into the studio wearing her practice clothes. "How're you doing, Charming?"

                Ryan made an annoyed face. "I really hate that."

"But it's cute," Andi grinned. "It suits you. You're my prince Charming." 

Ryan's frown melted as he looked up at her. "Oh, all right. How are you, Baby?"

                Andi grinned. "Perfect. Wonderful. Candace got called to the principal's office; she was wearing her skirt too high, as usual, and she had those five guys hanging off the end of her skirt like dogs; again, as usual." She looked at his lap. "Sewing slippers?"

                Ryan made a face as he pricked his finger on the tiny needle again. "Yeah. I swear, Baby, I don't know how you girls do this. We guys only have the elastic; you've got elastics and ribbons!"

                Andi giggled as she took the other slipper from his lap and helped herself to a needle and some thread. "Oh, Ryan. It's not that bad." Since they still had some time before the teacher came in, she applied herself to the strap on his slipper.

                Ryan paused a moment, looking at the pretty face bent earnestly over his slipper. It had been a week since he'd spoken to Uncle Jason about Andi's problem with Candace. That was probably why Candace was being called to his office that afternoon. Ryan's mind drifted back to the conversation he'd had with his uncle…

                "Andi?" Uncle Jason had raised his eyebrows. "That pretty girl with the long brown hair?"

                Ryan nodded vigorously. "Yes. Have you seen her?"

                Jason Matthews wiped his hand on the napkin. "Yes, as it so happens, I have. I caught her in the hall the second week of school slapping another girl for pouring glue in a friend's dance bag. The friend is not well off, apparently, and young Andi was furious that a new pair of shoes had been ruined." He took a sip from his glass and looked at Ryan. "You are going out with her?"

                Ryan nodded again. Jason ruffled his nephew's hair. "Nice taste, old son," he said affectionately. "She's a wonderful girl. Not like that prissy little piece of baggage she was scrapping with, that Candy something-or-other."

                "Well that's what I wanted to talk to you about, Uncle," Ryan said. "Candace isn't leaving Andi alone. Since Andi started sticking up for her friend Rose Candace has transferred her dislike from the other girl to my Baby. And she's using her other friends to persecute her too. I didn't get all the details; Andi is incredibly closemouthed about herself, but Rose told me that Candace caught Andi as she was leaving school after her detention. And Candace had three of her boyfriends with her. She threw all of Andi's books in the mud, then had her goons throw her into the mud too, and rubbed her face and her hair in it. Then she kicked her. I saw Andi's bruise, Uncle; it was this big." He made a circle with his hands and held it up against his side where Andi had her bruise. "I tried a lift, and Andi nearly screamed when my hands touched it. We had to practice around that one particular move until the bruise healed. Uncle, I've never asked you to do this, not for me, but I have to ask, for Andi. Can you look into it, and see if Candace's actions can get her expelled?"

Jason Matthews's eyebrows came together, and he frowned at Ryan. Ryan hastened to explain. "Her actions wouldn't be acceptable in school anyway. If any of the teachers knew about it, she'd have been expelled already for ganging up on Andi and hurting her like that. But Andi wouldn't tell anyone, and no one else is saying anything, even though the whole school knows. I heard Dave and Terry talking about Candace a few days ago. Did you know everyone calls Candace the 'easy girl' of her class? She's gone out with so many guys even Terry's lost count. He says he wouldn't touch Candace with a ten-foot pole. And you know how Terry is; chases after every skirt in the school. But they all know; the 'easy girl' beat up the 'pretty girl', and the 'pretty girl' is too nice to tell on her."

"Ah," Jason sat back. "I had heard something of the like, but no one will tell me who the 'pretty girl' is, and you know what the students are like; they see the principal coming, they clam up. Okay, old son, I'll take a look into it for you."

Ryan was sorely tempted to tell Andi why Candace was called to the principal's office, but restrained himself. He didn't want to ruin her good mood. It was the first time he'd seen her smiling in the week since her parents' trial, and there was little enough for her to smile at these days.

*                                                              *                                                              *

                Jenny shrieked in horror as Candace slammed into their dorm room. "You have to _leave_? Because you've got too many _detentions_? Because your behavior's _unacceptable_? Oh my _God_!"

                Candace hauled her suitcase up on the bed. "I'm going to call my father and have him get me back in," she said confidently. "If he gives a large enough donation to the school they'll have to let me back in. You know why they're doing this, right?" Jenny looked at her with wide eyes and didn't answer. Candace wanted to shake the silly girl. "Because of that stupid Andi Munroe, of course," she said, tossing her long blond hair back over her shoulder. "All the teachers think she's so good, so pure. Well, she's nothing but a dirty little street tramp!" Candace said, slamming her suitcase closed. "I bet she liked all that stuff her parents did to her, the stuff they were talking about at the trial. The horrible girl!" She sat on her bed, fuming. "I'll get back at her. I will!" She bit her lower lip. "But how?"

*                                                              *                                                              *

                Andi sighed and stretched. Finally her report was done! She hit 'print', then as the printer hummed away, she got up and went to the kitchen, pouring herself a glass of orange juice. She was standing in front of the fridge wondering what she was going to make for dinner. Ryan was coming over; she wanted to cook for him tonight. Maybe the chicken stir-fry Ororo had taught her to make, the one Ryan loved. She was reaching for the package when the phone rang.

                "Hello, this is Andi," she answered it.

                There was some really loud music going in the background. She could just barely make out the words 'Ryan' and 'loft.'

                "What?" It didn't sound like Ryan. She put her hand over her ear to block out the sound of the printer and said, "Ryan? Is that you?"

                "I'm…brother…Ryan wants…to meet him…here at the loft…he got a call…from NYCB…want him…dance…are you coming?"

                Andi tried to figure out what the person was saying. Suddenly it clicked. Ryan had a little brother. He was calling from his cell phone from Ryan's loft, where there was apparently a party going to celebrate Ryan being asked to dance for the NYCB. Andi grinned. He'd been waiting for that for so long. "I'm on my way!" she said into the receiver, and hung up. She yanked her report out of the printer, shut down both the computer and the printer, then scribbled a quick note on a sheet of paper. 

                _Rose: Ryan got asked to join NYCB. There's a party at his loft. I'm going. See you later! Don't wait up for me. Love, Andi._

                She taped the note to the computer screen and grabbed her jacket and her keys.

                She could hear the music as she got out of the car. There were three other cars here, she noted vaguely as she hurried up the metal steps to the entrance to the upper loft. If she had been less preoccupied, she would have recognized Candace's pink Jeep parked around the corner, but she never saw it. 

                She opened the door to the loft. "Ryan!" she said. "Ryan, I'm…" her words trailed off as she saw who was there.

                Candace switched off the stereo that was blaring her favorite rock music. "Well, well, look who's joined the party," she said with a smile. "Hello, 'Baby'," she said, mocking Ryan's nickname for her.

                Andi realized it was a setup, and turned to leave. Candace snapped her fingers, and two men wearing ski masks jumped out from behind the door and grabbed Andi. Andi shrieked, struggling, but they rammed her head against the wall, once, sharply, and Andi went limp.

                Candace grinned as she held out a pair of handcuffs. "Strip her and cuff her," she snarled to the guy holding Andi's left arm. He took the handcuffs and locked them around Andi's wrists, pulling them up in front of her. Another man stepped up and tossed a dog chain over an overhanging beam, positioning the hook directly over Andi. The first man lifted her effortlessly, hanging her from the chain like a limp piece of wet laundry, then whipped out a switchblade and started to cut Andi's clothes off. "Not too gently," Candace purred, rubbing herself up against the man. "I don't care if she's cut up some."

                When the man finished, Andi was nude, and a trickle of blood along her hip and outer thigh showed where the knife had nicked her skin.  Candace stuffed Andi's bra and panties into her mouth as the guys started taking their belts out of their pants; Candace took the one the first guy handed her and smiled sweetly just before she struck Andi's limp body with all her strength.

                Andi woke, screaming in agony. Or at least, she would be screaming if her mouth hadn't been filled by her underclothing. Her eyes flew open, and fastened on the blond girl standing in front of her, smiling as she raised the belt again. Andi couldn't see behind her, but the other four men in the loft were readying their belts too. As Candace struck her again, three other belts smashed into Andi's defenseless body from three different angles. Andi gave a muffled scream of pain as welts rose on her shoulders, back, and thighs. Her feet kicked uselessly, trying to find the floor, but they had her trapped, and they knew it. Andi whimpered, in pain from the welts and from her straining shoulders; her eyes begged her captors to let her go, but Candace wasn't about to do that.

                When Candace's arm got tired of wielding the belt, she handed it to its owner, who kept hitting Andi with it. Andi was crying now, helpless tears of pain as her body jerked in agony with each impact. She couldn't see it, but on her back and shoulders where the belts had struck more than twice in the same spot her welted skin had broken and she was bleeding. The belts kept descending until Andi hung limp from the chain, exhausted, only jerking once in a while as a belt opened more gashes in her skin. Candace signaled to the guys to stop, then to let Andi down. Andi hit the floor on her side, too exhausted to stand, and cried as circulation returned to her numb, purple fingers. Candace grinned, and cleared the CD's and stereo off the table, and two of the guys dragged Andi's limp body to the table and hauled her up on it. The chain was wrapped around her ankles and then passed under the table, stretching her body securely over it, and the men raised the belts again. Andi whimpered, begging them to let her go with her eyes; she wasn't sure she could live through another beating. 

                Candace smiled, nodded to the four men, and stepped back as Andi started to scream again.


	6. In the Hospital

Chapter 6:

                Ryan raised an eyebrow as he pulled up in front of Andi's apartment building. Andi's car wasn't there. He'd told her he was coming over, she should have been expecting him. Oh well. Maybe she'd run out to the store for some groceries for dinner. Whistling, he took the bouquet of flowers from the back of his car and started up the front walk.

                He started to insert the key into the lock on the door when it was opened from inside. He looked up with a smile, expecting to see Andi, but instead it was Rose. "Ryan?" Rose said. "What are you doing here?"

                "I was supposed to have dinner here. Didn't Andi tell you?"

                Rose said, "Well, yes, but…she left a message here that there was a party for you over at your loft, and she was going. Look." She showed Ryan the note Andi had written. "Why aren't you there with her?"

                "There's no party," Ryan said slowly. "I haven't gotten a call from anyone. Andi's not the kind to play practical jokes…" He shoved the flowers at Rose. "Maybe she's waiting for me there." He turned and went back out to his car. As he stuck the key in the ignition, he tried to push away the feeling that something was terribly wrong.

                There were a lot of cars outside his loft; three he didn't recognize, a pink Jeep parked around the corner, half-hidden from sight, and—his heart leaped—Andi's silver convertible. He got out of his car, slammed the door, and started to walk up, just as another car pulled up. To Ryan's surprise, Uncle Jason got out. "What's all this, Ryan?" he said. "Someone overheard two guys talking about a party for you, for being tapped by the NYCB. You didn't tell me about it, and I didn't get a letter. What's this all about?"

                Ryan shook his head. "I don't know, but Andi's here. That's her car. I'm about to ask her what's going on. Come on up, Uncle." They mounted the steps to the loft's entrance, and Ryan pushed open the door.

                Total silence reigned for a moment. Ryan stared in disbelief. Four masked guys were standing around a table on which something lay; he couldn't see what it was. CD's were scattered all over the floor, most broken; and in the corner, half-hidden and trying to edge out the fire escape, Ryan saw Candace. He took a few quick steps toward her, wanting to know what she was doing there; but as he moved, he saw what was lying on the table, and he lunged forward. **_"ANDI!!!"_**

                She lay on the table, battered and bruised. Her eyes were closed; they fluttered weakly at the sound of his voice, but didn't open. Ryan was beside the table in an instant, fumbling with the chains wrapped around her ankles. "Who's got the key to the handcuffs!?" he yelled. "_Give it to me_ **now**!"

                Jason had his cell phone out, dialing the police. "You, girl!" he shouted. "Stay where you are!"

                "She can't get out, Uncle!" Ryan said as he yanked at the chains digging cruelly into Andi's ankles. "The fire escape doesn't open. _SOMEONE GIVE ME THE FUCKING KEY NOW!_"

                Candace said, "I don't have them. I just took them; I forgot the keys." Ran stared in disbelief at Candace, then returned to Andi, lying still on the table. He unwound the chains from Andi's ankles, then pulled her strained, overstretched arms back over her head and down in front of her. Tears filling his eyes, he worked the wadded cloth out of Andi's mouth, and cried frantically, "Baby…oh, Baby, please…please be okay…say something, Andi, please!"

                Her mouth opened, and soft whine of agony came out. Ryan swallowed hard, pulling her off the table and sitting on the floor with her, crying. "Andi, please, oh, God, please be okay…oh God…" He cradled her in his arms, ignoring the blood from her torn flesh staining the dressy khakis he'd put on for their date. "How could you do this!" he screamed at Candace. "I knew you were a malicious, vindictive bitch but how the hell could you do this to her?" He hugged Andi tighter.

                Andi's whole body was a flaring, burning mass of agony. She could hardly breathe through the pain, but she summoned the last of her strength to reach up to Ryan's face. She touched his cheek with numb fingers. "I'll be…okay…Charming…" she said with the last of her strength, using his pet nickname, the one he hated but she thought cute. Ryan hugged her tightly. _Oh, God, please let her be okay,_ he thought. _I'll never complain again when she calls me that, I swear, just let her be okay, oh, please…_

                The sound of sirens cut through his thoughts, and seconds later police officers came storming up the steps and burst into the loft. They started cuffing the boys and Candace, who glowered in anger, then everyone stood aside a two paramedics came in with a stretcher. "Easy, son," one man said kindly. "We got her. Let her go." They eased Andi's nude, bruised body onto the stretcher, and gave her a quick check. "Vitals good," said one. "Heart beat okay, low oxygen, slight shock, nasty bump, but she's just bruised and in pain and exhausted." She turned to the assembled people. "Anyone we can call for her?" 

Ryan stood up. "Tell me which hospital you're going to, and I'll call her mom," he said. "We'll meet you there."

*                                                              *                                                              *

                "_WHAT!?_"

                Ororo's startled, anguished cry broke abruptly through the conversation around the X-Men's dinner table. Jean spun, alarmed by her friend's sudden shift in emotions. Ororo had gone from relaxed to alarmed all in one moment.

                "Oh Goddess," Ororo sounded like she was going to start crying. Jean was out of her chair first, running to the doorway between the dining room and kitchen, and watched as Ororo spoke into the receiver. "Oh Goddess…Which hospital? When? I shall be there as quickly as I can!" She hung up the phone.

                "'Ro, what's wrong?" 

                Ororo turned a stricken face toward Jean. "Andi was beaten badly by a rival over at the school," she said. "Her boyfriend just called me; they're taking her to the hospital right now." She turned and ran up the stairs.

                Moments later she came down with her jacket, and yanked open the kitchen drawer that held all the car keys. She scrabbled frantically in it. "Keys, where are my keys…"

                "Tell Remy which hospital an' he take you dere," said Remy, just coming in the kitchen door. 

                "Thank you, Remy," Ororo said with relief, and they both turned and ran out the door. Jean called after them, "Call us as soon as you know anything!"

                Ororo saw Ryan pacing back and forth in the waiting room, and ran up to him. "Ryan! What happened?" 

                He turned to her, and she saw the blood on his pants and shirt. Her heart dropped. She was about to say something when a taller man stood up from the chair where he'd been sitting, and walked over to her. "Miss Munroe?"

                Ororo turned to look at him. "Yes?"

                He held out a hand, which she took automatically. "Jason Matthews. I'm Ryan's uncle, and the principal at Julliard. Miss Munroe, I am so sorry about this--"

                The color drained from Ororo's face. "She's dead…"

                "Oh, no, no, no," he hastened to reassure her. "The paramedics said she's going to be fine, she's just bruised and dazed from the bump on her head. No, I'm sorry I didn't do anything about the situation sooner. This girl Candace Roth seems to have been the ringleader; she and four of her boy friends lured Andi away from her apartment to the loft my nephew uses for dancing, stretched her over a table and beat her rather badly. From what Ryan tells me, it's not the first time she has hurt your daughter; he told me, but I waited a week before doing anything about it. I'm sorry, if I had done something sooner, she might not--"

                The door to the waiting room opened, and a doctor walked in. "Mr. Matthews? Mr. Harper?"

                Jason Matthews indicated Ororo. "This is Andi's mother, Miss Munroe," he said.

                "Well, your daughter's going to be fine," the doctor said, reaching for Ororo's hand. "She's pretty badly bruised, and she's going to be in pain for a couple weeks, but she's going to be fine. Nothing was broken, which is a miracle considering the fragility of her bones; they're very brittle. She's going to have to take it easy for a couple days, due to that bump on her head. I get the feeling she's not going to protest too much, since she's not going to want to move much with all that muscle bruising."

                Ororo gave a huge sigh of relief, letting out the breath she hadn't known she was holding. "Can I see her?" she said.

                The doctor smiled. "Of course. We'll release her in a few hours, though she'll have to have someone with her for a day or so until she can get up on her own." He led the way through a set of doors, up through Emergency and to the elevators. They got out on the second floor and passed through a door marked 'Recovery', then the doctor turned into the second door on the right.

                And there was Andi, white as the sheets she lay on, except for the ugly greenish-black bruise on her forehead. Her eyes opened as she heard the door open, and she tried to struggle upright.

                Ororo ran to her bedside, leaning over as Andi reached up to hug her. "Mom," Andi said, and as if Ororo's touch had released the tears she was holding back, she began to cry. "Oh, Mom, it was awful, I thought I was used to this kind of thing after Mother and Father and Dr. Hebron, but it hurt worse than I remembered it…oh, Mom…"

                Ororo hugged her gently but firmly, trying not to show her that she was crying. Andi broke the embrace before long, reached up, and wiped Ororo's face. "You're crying, Mom," she whispered.

                Ororo disengaged, wiping the last traces of tears from her cheeks. "I was worried, Andi," she said. "Ryan called me to tell me you had been hurt and I needed to get to the hospital. He didn't have any other information for me; I did not know how badly you were hurt."

                Andi closed her eyes. "Nothing's hurting right now," she said. "Everything's kind of numb from the neck down. I feel like I'm floating in a fog." She opened her eyes. "What happened?"

                Ororo looked at Ryan, and he and his uncle hastened up to her bedside. "I went to your apartment for dinner," he said, "And Rose answered the door. She said you'd gone to a party for me at the loft; so I went there. I thought it was a joke. Uncle Jason met me outside the loft; he'd overheard someone talking about the NYCB and he wanted to know if it was true. I went up there, and I saw Candace and four of her boys beating you with belts. I got you off while Uncle Jason called the police." He fell to his knees by her bed with a soft sob. "Oh, God, Andi, I'm so sorry, I knew she was going to get expelled and I didn't warn you…"

                Jason Matthews put a hand on Ryan's shoulder as he gripped Andi's hand in an agony of self-loathing. "Easy, old son," he said. "Andi, I'm glad you're going to be okay. I am sorry, I did not expect her to do this either, or I would have had Ryan warn you when I expelled her--"

                Andi was frowning. "Do I know you?" she asked. 

                "Jason Matthews, the school principal?" he said with a twinkle in his eye. At Andi's startled gasp, he smiled. "I hated giving you detention for fighting with that Candace. She needed it. Her older sister attended our school some years back; when Candace came to visit her she was an awful brat, too."

                "Fighting? Andi?" Ororo's brows drew together. "Andi, you know I don't approve…and you didn't tell me--"

                Andi turned pink, and started fidgeting with the end of the blanket. "I didn't tell you cause I figured you'd be mad," she said. "Candace poured glue in Rose's dance bag. Ruined all her stuff the day before tryouts were being held for the student show. I got mad when Candace lied and said she didn't do it, and I slapped her."

                Ororo sighed. "We'll talk about this later."

                Andi turned to Ryan. "You never told me your uncle was the school principal," she said quietly.

                Ryan laid his cheek against the side of Andi's hand. "I don't tell anyone," he said. "I don't want anyone to think he's playing favorites."

                Andi reached up with her other hand and ran her fingers through his hair. "Thanks for finding me, Charming," she said softly.

                Ryan's eyes filled with tears he tried not to shed. "I'm sorry I couldn't prevent it, Baby," he whispered. 'I should have told you, oh God, why didn't I tell you--" He stood and kissed her. Andi forgot about Ororo, watching, and kissed him back.

                Ororo's eyes widened. So. Things had gotten a lot further than she thought between the two of them. She couldn't decide if she was upset or happy about that.

                The doctor turned away from the monitor where he was scribbling something on a sheet of paper, and said, 'I'm sorry, but you're going to have to leave now, she needs to rest. We'll probably release her tomorrow morning. Miss Munroe, if you will give us your contact number…" and, still talking, he herded them out of the room. Ryan looked back at Andi, and blew her a kiss as he left. 'I'll come back, Baby," he said. Andi blew him a kiss back, then closed her eyes and went to sleep.


	7. Discussions

Chapter 7: Discussions

                Ororo slipped quietly into the mansion from the back door in the kitchen and closed it gently, trying not to wake anyone.

                "Too late," came a dry voice from the kitchen table. "Some of us are still awake."

                She turned, to see Jean sitting at the kitchen table. "I made sure Evan got to bed," she said. "If he's not asleep right now I don't want to know about it. So how is Andi?"

                Ororo sighed. "Thank you, Jean. I completely forgot about him in my hurry. I will speak to him tomorrow, make sure he is not upset." She dropped into an empty kitchen chair. "Apparently Andi and another girl at the school have not been getting along. Andi's friend has been getting picked on terribly by this other girl Candace, and Andi has been quite upset with the bullying. Candace was expelled yesterday afternoon; she decided that Andi had 'told on her' and determined to make her pay. She lured Andi to Ryan's loft, where she was waiting for her with four male friends, and they beat her badly with belts. Andi will be out of the hospital tomorrow, but she will not be able to resume normal activity for a week. She is to stay in bed; I must see what I can arrange, to have someone with her at all times. She is going to be in terrible pain; and she sustained a nasty bump on the head as well. I wish it could be me; but as I have teaching duties here, as well as responsibility for my nephew, it will not be possible. I believe Emma has an apartment in the city; I will ask her if her affairs are in such a state as to allow her to spend a week with Andi."

                Jean's lips flattened into a thin line at the mention of Emma's name, and Ororo sighed. "I know you do not approve, Jean, but Emma cares for Andi, and she will not allow anything to happen to her." Ororo reached across the table and rested her hand on top of Jean's briefly. "I know infidelity can be a difficult thing to deal with, Jean, but it happened, and there is nothing that can be done about it now. Emma has not said anything, but I do believe she regrets what happened. Please try to forgive her for the…indiscretion, as you have forgiven Scott."

                Jean fidgeted nervously with her fingers. "I tried to, 'Ro," she said. "I took Charles to the courthouse for the trials, and I saw her there both times; but I can't forgive her, 'Ro, I just can't!"

                Ororo regarded her quietly for a minute. "Is it because of her indiscretion, or is it because you still think that perhaps she used her telepathic abilities to influence Scott?"

                Jean looked at Ororo, stunned. "How did you know that's what I was thinking?"

                Ororo just smiled. Jean sighed. "Okay, yes, the thought has crossed my mind," she sighed. "Just…well…give me some more time?"

                Ororo patted Jean's hand. "As much as you need," she said. "In the meantime, I shall try to get some sleep, and I will call Emma in the morning and ask her about her plans."

*                                                              *                                                              *

                Emma groaned as she heard the phone ringing. "Always!" she yelled in annoyance to the ceiling. "The phone always rings when I'm in the bath!" For a moment she considered not getting up, but as the phone rang again she hauled herself out, dripping, and walked nude from the bathroom down the hall to the kitchen. "Yes," she snapped irritably into the phone. "What is it?"

                Ororo's voice sounded slightly amused and slightly concerned. "Have I called at a bad time, Emma?"

                Emma grabbed her kitchen towel and rubbed at her hair. "Ororo? What's wrong?"

                "Is this a bad--"?

                "For you, never," Emma said. "What's wrong? Something at the school?"

                "Not here at Xavier's, no," Ororo said. "I was calling to see if you could take a week's vacation off from your work to keep an eye on Andi for me."

                "Huh?" Emma sat down in one of her kitchen chairs. "What happened to her?"

                "Andi has been having problems with a girl at Julliard. When the girl was expelled yesterday she got some of her friends together and they beat Andi badly. She spent last night in the hospital. The doctor says he can release her today, but she won't be able to return to school for a week, and she has to stay in bed during that time. Someone needs to be there to make sure she stays in bed, but I have classes here, and I cannot. I do not know of anyone else who might be able to. If you cannot, just tell me; I'll see if I can get a nurse for her--"

                "No, no, no," Emma said hastily. "I can do it; I'll be glad to! My god, as if her parents and Dr. Hebron weren't enough…" she trailed off. "How bad is it?"

                "They knocked her unconscious, stripped her, stretched her over a table, and beat her with belts, Emma. There were five of them. Andi has some extremely painful muscle bruising, cuts where the buckles dug into her skin, and a slight concussion from having had her head pushed into the wall to knock her out. Her friend Ryan and his uncle found her before her attackers could do…anything worse…to her…" Ororo's voice trailed off as she thought about what could have happened to her daughter.

                Emma stared off into space, stunned. "My God. By all means, bring her here. I'll be glad to let her stay here for a week." She hung up the phone, then picked up her cell phone and dialed her secretary's number. She told the guy to cancel or reschedule everything she had for the rest of the week, raising her eyebrow at the slightly exasperated tone of his voice, and then dialed up her maid service. She wrapped a towel around herself, opened the door for them when they came in, and sent them on the way to the spare room she sometimes used as a second bedroom. Then she returned to her bathroom and lowered herself into the bath, thankful that the tub was heated so she didn't have to take a cold one, and resumed her bath. 

                By the time she got back out, the maids were gone. She took a quick peek into the spare bedroom on her way back to her own room, and nodded. The bed was set up and neatly made, and the room was clean, all ready for its occupant.

                Around eleven o'clock, there was a ring at the doorbell to her penthouse apartment. Emma opened it, to see Ororo supporting a still-very-groggy Andi by the elbow. She took Andi's other elbow, helped Ororo get the girl down the hall and into the spare bedroom, then let her fall into it. Andi went back to sleep almost immediately; Ororo pulled off her shoes and tucked her in, then dropped a kiss on Andi's forehead and tiptoed out of the room. An unnecessary precaution, Emma thought, since Andi didn't look like she was going to wake up anytime soon, but she tiptoed out after Ororo anyway and closed the door quietly.

                "Is she going to be like that the whole week?" Emma said quietly.

                Ororo shook her head. "The doctor gave her a fairly strong painkiller before she left the hospital. She will probably sleep most of the afternoon. Here." She dug into her purse and came up with two bottles of prescription pills. "I picked these up from the pharmacy on the way back. She's to take one of these every six hours. They're for the pain. And she's to stay in bed; except to use the bathroom." She walked into Emma's kitchen and put the pills on the table.

                "Here, have a cup of coffee," Emma said. "What about her homework?"

                Ororo sighed. "The school tells me Andi is considerably ahead of the other children in her studies, and is making good grades. She could do the makeup work when she gets back, or I can have Ryan drop off Andi's work and bring it over here."

                "Why not just have him bring the work here?"

                Ororo shook her head. "I saw his reaction to her in the hospital; it made me wonder what they have been doing at school. I do not think Andi is ready to enter into physical intimacy with a boy; so I am going to try to keep them apart until--" She stopped, because Emma was looking at her incredulously. "What?"

                Emma shook her head. "I was beginning to think Andi was going to turn into a nun," she said. "Good to know she has a healthy sexual appetite."

                Ororo stared at her in disbelief. "Andi is only nineteen. She should not be doing anything that brings up the question of 'sexual appetite'!"

                Emma laughed. "Oh come on, Ororo. Don't tell me you weren't interested in boys at nineteen."

                Ororo protested. 'What I was or was not thinking at nineteen is not the question here! With the abuse Andi has suffered she should not be engaging in such intimate activities! Her body needs time to heal!"

                Emma sighed. "If Andi wasn't ready for it, she wouldn't be thinking about it. Ororo, are you more upset that Andi might be endangering her health, or are you upset because you think she's not ready to have sex with a boy?"

                Ororo blinked. "Both, I guess," she said quietly.

                Emma leaned across the kitchen table. "Ororo, it doesn't really matter what you think. If her body wasn't healed from the abuse she's suffered it'll tell her so when they get into bed. I'm actually glad Andi's showing signs of returning to normal. She wouldn't be a normal teenager if she weren't feeling something for he boys around her. Let her experiment, Ororo. If she's not ready she wouldn't be doing it."

                Ororo's eyes widened. "Do you think she has already…slept with…Ryan?"

                Emma fudged. She'd ask Andi when the girl woke up, though she was fairly sure Andi already had. "I don't know. But even if she did, I'm pretty sure she took precautions. Andi's a sensible girl, and she knows about the birds and the bees."

                "Oh, dear," Ororo sighed. "Why are children so difficult?" Her eyes widened. "What about Evan? Do you think he has been having any feelings for any of the girls at the school?"

                Emma laughed. "I'm pretty sure he has, though he's just a bit young to have followed up on those impulses as of yet. It won't be long before he does, though. Don't worry, he probably knows what to do too." The worried wrinkle in Ororo's forehead didn't go away, though. Emma chuckled, and stood up. "Tell Ryan to bring Andi's work here. I'll keep an eye on them. The boy's so intimidated by me he won't try anything while I'm here." 

                After the door closed behind Ororo she leaned against it and laughed. "Oh, my. Just like a mother." She grinned.

                She walked into Andi's room and put the bottles of pills on the table along with a glass of water, ready for her when she got up. AS she turned to leave, there was a stirring under the blankets, and Andi's voice said softly, "Emma?"

                She returned to the girl's bedside smiling cheerfully. "Well now. Awake?"

                Andi rolled over sleepily. "I heard…you and Mom," she said. "I haven't told her…Ryan and I are lovers."

                Emma grinned. "I figured as much."

                "I think Mom's mad."

                "No, she's not mad," Emma said thoughtfully. "She's doing what every mother does; worry. Andi, no mother's ever ready for her little girl to grow up. Especially when that growing up entails having adult relations with someone else."

                "But I'm…not her little girl," Andi said quietly.

                Emma sighed. "Andi, to her, you are. She loves you. She really, really loves you. You may not be her biological daughter, but you are her daughter nonetheless. Does that make sense?"

                Andi nodded. "I guess so," she said slowly. "Emma…"

                Emma patted her hand encouragingly as Andi paused. "Go on."

                "Umm… if I have questions about…well, stuff…will you answer them?"

                Emma looked puzzled. Andi fidgeted with the blankets. "Um…see, Mother and Father never really explained everything to me, I just sort of picked stuff up from having to watch them. But I don't…really know…about…" she broke off, blushing furiously.

                Emma smiled. "Wait a moment." She went down the hall to her room, unlocked her private bookcase, and took out a worn book. She took it back to Andi's bedroom. "Here," she said, holding it out to Andi. "Everything you need to know. It's not just the textbook definitions; it's literally everything you need to know. Read that, and if you have any questions after that let me know, okay?" She patted Andi's hand and stood. "Now, I know what hospital food tastes like, so I'm going to fix us some lunch. You need to eat before taking those pills, or you'll throw up." She left Andi engrossed in the book. 


	8. Difficult Decision

Chapter 8:

                "It's so good to be home!" Andi flopped down on her bed for the first time in a week and stretched.

                Ryan dropped her bag with a thump and sat down beside her on the bed with a smile. "I'd have thought you'd like Emma's place," he said. "All that room, all those luxuries…good lord," he grinned, "outside of a movie I'd never seen a tub that big! And heated too!"

                Andi grinned. "Oh, yeah, that was cool, wasn't it?" Emma had gone out yesterday on some errand or another when Ryan came to see Andi; they had taken the time to explore some of the luxury features of her penthouse apartment. They had come out of the bathroom to find her standing in the hallway. She hadn't said anything, though; she had just looked at them, and kept walking. Ryan had left soon afterward. Emma, surprisingly, hadn't said anything other than, "I trust you were careful. Don't overstrain anything. You're still healing." Emma had paused, then asked, "I trust the book was sufficiently informative?"

                Andi had nodded, unable to speak. Then she'd fled to her room, where she hid, mortified, for a while. She decided to keep that to herself, though, and got up, grabbing her bag to unpack it. First to come out was Ali; she propped him in his place of honor beside her pillow and returned to her unpacking. Emma had had Andi's clothes washed by her maids; there were no dirty clothes for the Laundromat. Andi tucked her clean clothes into the drawers, then reached in to the bottom of her bag to take out her shoes. And gasped.

                Ryan came over to see what she was looking at, and Andi pulled a box of condoms out with a startled face. He started for a moment, then laughed hysterically. "I guess Emma found out we used one of hers," he said, rolling around on Andi's bed clutching his sides. Andi looked at him, annoyed as she pulled off the little yellow Post-It note on the package. _Andi: Figured I should get you your own before you use all of mine. Don't tell your Mom, though. Emma._ Andi started giggling, and flopped down on the bed beside him. "This is a brand we haven't used before," she grinned mischievously. "Wanna see if they work?"

*                                                              *                                                              *

                There was considerable stir when Andi walked into her first period class the next day. Surprisingly, most of it was positive; apparently, no one had really liked Candace, and the fact that she was gone relieved the students immensely. Andi handed in the pile of make-up work Ryan had been bringing for her every day, and got what she expected; good marks on everything. Schoolwork seemed to be going fine.

                Rehearsals were not. Having been unable to dance for a week, her body had gotten out of practice. By the end of the first rehearsal her feet were hurting, her hips and body were aching and sore, and she was in tears. Madame Dvorovenko, who was helping them rehearse, finally lost her temper. "Eet ees like a board you are, Mademoiselle Munroe! You are a ballerina, not a board! Flow with ze music!" At the end of the practice, she threw up her hands. "You need more practice, Mademoiselle." And she swept out of the studio.

                Andi sat down on the floor, crying. Ryan sat down beside her, patting her back consolingly. "Didn't you get any practice over at Emma's apartment? I'm sure you could probably have used the living room for dancing."

                Andi pounded her fist on the floor. "The doctors said no dancing for a week. I tried to do some basic stretches and exercises but everything hurt too much, and I just couldn't! Why can't she understand that?" She reached down with her hands to rub an aching calf muscle, and yelped when her hands touched a still-painful skin bruise.

                Ryan sighed as she sat down next to her and took her leg in his hands. His hands kneaded the sore muscle as he tried to say what was on his mind. Finally he decided to just go ahead and say it. " Andi—Baby--maybe you should consider not dancing in the show," he said. "I know this was really important for you, and you wanted to do it, but I don't think all those muscle bruises are going to go away in the two weeks we have left before the show opens. After what you went through, I'm sure the teachers will understand."

                Andi stared at him, hurt in her eyes. "You want me to drop out?"

                Ryan met her gaze squarely. "It's up to you, Baby, but I think maybe you should consider it. There will be other shows. Maybe the spring show. You've been out of class and practice for a week; it's long enough for a dancer to get rusty."

                Andi jumped up, tears in her eyes. "Thanks a lot, Ryan. Thanks a lot!" She grabbed her dance bag and disappeared into the girls' bathroom.

                Once inside she raced into a stall and slammed the door. She couldn't believe he'd just said that to her. She wanted to dance in the show, she wanted to so badly. She had won her place in the show, and paid the price for it; Candace's hatred. It wasn't fair that she had to lose the coveted spot.

                The warning bell rang, and she looked up at the wall clock. She had five minutes to get to Biology. Angrily scrubbing at the tears on her cheeks, she simply yanked her shirt and skirt on over her dance things, stuffed her feet into her regular uniform shoes, and ran out of the bathroom…straight into Ryan.

                "Andi, please, listen to me, I didn't mean for that to come out the way it sounded. Look, it's up to you, but I really do think if you try to get into shape two weeks before the show you're going to strain something or hurt yourself, and that would be a horrible thing to have happen. I'm not saying you have to drop out; I'm just saying it might be better for you to give yourself some more recovery time. Promise me you'll think about it?"

                Andi stared at the ground, not wanting him to see the tears in her eyes. "Okay, I promise," she said roughly. "Now please move; I'm going to be late for Biology." Ryan stepped aside, and Andi sped off down the hall to the classroom.

                She was slightly calmer by the time she joined Rose for the regular ballet class. As they changed in the bathroom, she told her friend what Ryan had said. Rose was in the stall for so long, and was so silent, that Andi first thought something had happened to her. "Rose?"

                The other girl came out of the stall, leaned against the bathroom wall as Andi pulled her hair up in a bun, and said, "Andi, I'm your friend, right?"

                "Yes," Andi said, puzzled.

                "And we're both in the same position, right?" Another nod.

                "Andi, I know how important the show is. It's an opportunity for directors from other ballet companies from all over the U.S. to come see you and decide if they want you in their companies. And you deserve to be seen; you're really good, even better than me. But first impressions are the ones that stick in people's minds, and you never have a second chance to make that first impression. If their first impression of you is seeing you fall on the stage in the middle of the school production, they might never look at you again, even if you graduate Julliard at the top of the class and you become the most brilliant dancer in the world. They're always going to see the girl who fell over on stage. 

                "The school will say that you were chosen to dance, but have been unable to perform because of an injury. Any scouts for the companies sitting in the audience will be impressed that you were chosen. Julliard isn't an easy school. Then they'll think that you recognize your limits, you know when to take it easy, and you don't have such an ego that you're going to try to dance when your body is telling you that you can't. It shows an understanding of your limits, a knowledge of your frailties, and a spirit of humility that a lot of people don't have. It takes more courage to say 'I can't' when you can't than it does to say 'I can' and fall flat on your face. Remember that time Candace twisted her ankle wearing those high heels on the steps?"

                Andi nodded.

                "Remember she kept insisting she could still dance? And she tried, and halfway through regular class she fell doing an arabesque and ended up getting blood all over the floor from her bloody nose? Remember how humiliating that was for her?" Andi nodded again.

                "So don't do the same thing, Andi. Don't make the same mistake of thinking your talent will get you through the show, because it won't. You have to have talent, training, and practice to do the show, and right now you're kind of short on the last two because of what Candace did to you. It's not your fault, and it's not fair, but the last thing you want to do is hurt yourself worse trying to get back up to performance level this soon after a week in bed." Rose fell silent after delivering this bit of wisdom, and left the bathroom.

                And Andi realized both she and Ryan were right after she had gotten through her barre exercises. Her extensions were high, but not as high as they used to be. She had lost too much of her flexibility while resting in bed from her ordeal to be able to perform in two weeks. It was going to take at least two weeks just to get her flexibility back! And there were a few places where her body simply refused to do what she asked it to do because the muscle was still bruised. 

Madame Michaud criticized Andi's technique, but her tone was much softer when she spoke. The news of what had happened to Andi had been told to her, in confidence, by the principal, and she could see how the girl was struggling to get through the class. It hurt to watch. Andi had an odd sort of fluid grace, almost like a cat, that had made her dancing seem like popcorn popping; quick, light, energetic movements. Now it looked like she was slowing down. She spent more time helping than criticizing, heartened by the effort the girl was putting into her dancing and disheartened every time a residual muscle bruise made Andi flinch. There was no way she was going to be able to dance. When she dismissed the class, she almost went to Andi and suggested that the girl not dance in the show, but Andi looked so tired and sad she didn't have the heart to. She watched the girl leave the classroom being comforted by her friend, and wondered if there was anything that could be done. Probably not.

Andi tapped gently on the door of the principal's office. Jason Matthews looked up. "Miss Munroe! Come on in."

"I won't be long," Andi said softly, stopping just inside the door. "I wanted to come and tell you…that because of my injury…I don't think I'm going to be able to dance in the show." Her voice was scarcely audible, and a tear gathered in the corner of her eye. "I can't even manage a regular class without something hurting. I'm…I'm sorry." The tear rolled down her cheek.

Jason dropped his eyes for a moment to his desk top. "I'm sorry, Andi," he said quietly, finally. "I'm sorry that when I first started hearing the rumors that you were getting picked on, I didn't do something about them right away. If I had maybe this wouldn't have happened. Will you tell Ryan yourself, or should I tell him?"

"I'll tell him," Andi said. "I saw him for rehearsals today, and I was a mess. He told me maybe I should think about not dancing, because I wouldn't be ready in time. I got upset with him, and I shouldn't have, because he was telling me the truth. I have to apologize, anyway."

"Ryan has study hall right now. If you like, I can write you a pass for your history class and you can be excused to talk to him."

Andi shook her head. "No, I'll see him later at the loft. But thank you anyway, Mr. Matthews."

*                                                              *                                                              *

                Ryan turned as the door to the loft opened. Andi stood there, in the doorway. Not trusting himself to speak, he opened his arms. Andi dropped her backpack and ran into them, burying her face in his chest. "I'm sorry, Ryan, I'm so sorry," she wailed. "You were right, and I was being too stupid to admit that I was wrong and that I couldn't get back in shape by the time we were to dance in the show. I'm sorry I yelled at you, I'm sorry I got upset, please for give me--"

                He cut off her torrent of words with a long, slow, sensual kiss. "Nothing to forgive, Baby," he said huskily as he carried her over to the couch.


	9. Accident

Chapter 9:

                "Baby."

                Andi ignored the warning note in Ryan's voice and pulled her ankle up further toward her head.

                "Baby...!"

                Just a little further. The tendons in the back of her thighs were straining, and aching, but they weren't seriously hurting yet…

                "OOWWW!!"

                "I tried to warn you!" Ryan cried in distress as he left the barre where he had been watching her stretch and running over to where Andi was sitting, rubbing the thick muscle behind her thigh. He moved her hands aside, gently flipped her over and pulled off her rubber warm-up pants, and rubbed at the sore spot with gentle fingers. Andi groaned.

                "Don't push it, Andi," Ryan said gently. "It's only been two weeks since you came back. Your body won't be able to do all the stuff it did before this soon." He sighed, and sat back. Andi rolled over on her back and sat up, hugging him.

                "I know," she said. "But the show is tonight, and I'm really feeling left out. I know," she held up a hand to stop him from saying anything, "I know it was my decision to drop out, and I know it was for the best, but I can't help but feel a little bit upset."

                Ryan smiled and pulled her into his arms in a hug. "It's okay," he said quietly. "I understand." They sat that way for a long minute, then Ryan disengaged himself from her and went to his backpack. "Here," he said when he returned. "I know Uncle Jason gave you a ticket, and then you gave it to Rose to give to her friend. But I'd really like for you to come, Baby, really I would. So here's an extra ticket."

                Andi stared at the scrap of paper. "I _really_ don't want to, Ryan," she said quietly.

                "Well, Baby, you _really_ don't have a choice, because my Mom is going to make sure you get there. Since you've got the seat next to hers, she'll pick you up at your place, and drive you to the theater. You are going to watch the performance, and then you'll be coming with Rose and Devon and me out to a celebratory dinner afterward. And then I'll give you my surprise."

                "A…a what?" Andi wasn't sure she'd heard right.

                Ryan grinned, his eyes dancing in humor. "A surprise. I have a surprise for you. I'll give it to you over dinner. No, I'm not telling you what it is." He smiled and turned smugly back to his barre, ignoring Andi's shameless begging. "You have to wait," he said finally, grabbing her shoulders and planting a kiss on her cheek. Then he grabbed his dance bag and left the loft.

*                                                              *                                                              *

                Linda looked up as her oldest son walked into the kitchen. "Hey," she said. "Was it ready?"

                Ryan nodded and tossed her the small box across the kitchen. "Just came in today. I hope she likes it. I mean, it's nothing really big, or fancy, but then, Andi's not the kind of girl to like big fancy things. She was so uncomfortable at Emma's penthouse. All those luxuries." He grinned. "See what you think."

                Linda opened the box and surveyed what was inside thoughtfully. "I'm sure she'll like it," she said. "I saw her at the school once; this just sort of looks like her. So is she coming tonight?"

                Ryan grinned. "I didn't give her a choice. I told her you'd be picking her up at her place and driving her to the theater. You don't mind, do you Mom?"

                Linda ruffled her son's hair. "'Course not. I want everything to go perfectly this evening, for both of you." As Ryan rushed off toward the stairs, she called to him. "Did you make the reservations?"

                "Oh, rats!" Ryan exclaimed, smacking his forehead with his hand. "I totally forgot! Oh, jeez, I gotta dress--"

                "I'll do it," Linda said. "What restaurant were you going to take her to?"

                "I was thinking about the Pisces, or Sascha's," Ryan called back from the top of the stairs. "Devon wanted to go to Blue Skye or Caesar's, but he said he'd leave it up to me, since we're pretty much eating dinner out for Andi's benefit."

                Linda wrinkled her nose. "Shouldn't you find somewhere maybe a little more romantic? How about Whispers?"

                "Because I'd have to dress for Whispers, and if Baby saw me all dressed up she'd know something was up," Ryan said.

                Linda tried to think of any other restaurant where you could wear street clothes but would still be romantic. "What about Woodfire?" she called to Ryan.

                "Too much smoke!" Ryan called back.

                Linda sighed. "Well, your father and I really liked The Kiss Café," she said after some thought.

                Ryan's face popped over the banisters. "Mom, you're a genius. That'll be perfect. Is it going to be open that late?"

                Linda rolled her eyes. "The show will end at nine, at the latest," she said. "Kiss will be open until eleven. Should be enough time to eat dinner."

                Ryan jumped down the rest of the steps and planted a kiss on his mother's cheek. "It will. Love you, Mom." 

                "Love you too, Rye," Linda went back to the kitchen to call the restaurant.

*                                                              *                                                              *

                Andi sighed as she shimmied out of her dress again. She wasn't sure what would be appropriate; she wasn't dancing, she was watching, so why was she so nervous? She yanked open her closet and scanned her clothes again as she carefully hung her dress back on its hangar.

                She finally decided on her long black button-up skirt with yellow sunflowers on it, and the matching button-up short-sleeved yellow sweater. She tugged her thick brown hair back in a single braid down her back, again vowing she was going to get it cut, then tied it off with a yellow scrunchie. Dusting some makeup lightly over her face, she grabbed her little black dress purse, shoved her lipstick and her cell phone in it, and headed out the door.

                Linda Harper was waiting for her in a pretty beige Camry. Andi slid into the front passenger seat, buckled her seatbelt, and sighed as Linda drove away. "I don't know why Ryan insisted that I come," she said. "I'm not dancing."

                "But he wanted you to see him dance," Linda said gently, hearing the note of regret in Andi's voice and understanding it. She'd heard the whole story from Ryan. "And your friend Rose and your classmate Devon are also dancing, so you should be there to support them as well, even if you can't dance." She looked out the front windshield with a tiny smile hovering on her lips. "Besides, Ryan does have that surprise he's going to give you over dinner, too, so you have to be there for that."

                "I'm dying to know what it is!" Andi cried, turning to Linda. "Please, what is it? Please, please tell me!" Linda refused to answer, fending off Andi's inquiries with tantalizingly vague descriptions. "It's small," she said, "And it's something you wear. Oh, no, I'm not giving you any more hints!" And she remained silent as Andi wheedled, coaxed, and finally resorted to downright begging. She was still asking some time later as they found their seats, but quieted as the curtain rose.

                The show was a spectacular display of the best talent Julliard had to offer. Andi watched as Agnes, the prima ballerina of the senior class, leaped, spun, and pirouetted through the allegro movement of 'Carmen'. Ryan had changed his music to Romeo's solo in 'Romeo and Juliet', rather than the pas de deux from 'Swan Lake', and Andi found herself holding her breath. Ryan was so perfect, she couldn't believe she had been chosen to dance with him! And she was glad she had chosen to drop out; in her current condition, she would only have dragged him down with her clumsy, unpracticed, stiff efforts. She was in a much better mood as the curtain fell for the last time, and she ran backstage to congratulate Rose and Devon, and kiss Ryan privately and at length in the small, drafty dressing room backstage.

                They emerged from the theater out into the warm spring night, and Ryan took a surreptitious glance at his watch as he unlocked his trunk and tossed his dance bag inside. His mother had been right; they'd get there at nine thirty, just as she had predicted. He shook his head, amused, and got behind the wheel of his little blue Malibu. Andi sat in the passenger side, and Rose and Devon sat in the back.

                "So where are we going, and what's the surprise?" she asked as he started to drive. Ryan refused to answer that, instead talking about the performance as he drove the few blocks downtown to the Kiss Café.

                Andi was surprised as they went in, and the hostess confirmed their reservation and showed them to a small table. The outside of the café didn't look like much, but inside the atmosphere was  cozy, the wait staff was friendly, and the music a subdued but romantic violin concerto. Andi forgot about Ryan's promised surprise while she surveyed the menu and tried to decide what she wanted, and so was pleasantly surprised when a covered dish appeared in front of her from the kitchen. "For me?" she said, mystified, and lifted the lid. For a moment she stared, stupefied, her mind frozen by what lay under that polished silver cover.

                A small black velvet box lay open under the cover, and inside, winking back at her, was a gold ring. A large central diamond, surrounded by six smaller diamonds, nestled in its cushion of black velvet, and Andi sat gawking. Ryan got up, taking up the box and pulling out the ring, then went down on one knee in the middle of the restaurant there and said, clearly, "Alexandra Munroe, will you marry me?"

                Andi stared, hands clamped over her mouth. "What?" she gasped.

                Ryan repeated it. "Andi, will you marry me?"

                She sat, frozen, eyes wide. The patrons at the surrounding tables started laughing, and one lady said, "Girl, love him or leave him, but don't let him hang!" Rose nudged  Andi. "Andi, say something!"

                Andi stared, opened her mouth, and tried to say something, but nothing came out but a croak. She tried again. "Yes," she said, her voice a whisper that could nevertheless be heard in the restaurant. "Yes, I'll marry you." And she extended her shaking hand, watched as Ryan slid the diamond ring on her left ring finger, then grabbed him and planted a kiss on his mouth that went on for quite some time.

                Andi finally sat back down at her place as the waitress brought another covered dish, this time with her dinner on it. She ate mechanically, barely able to take her eyes off the winking diamond on her finger. "Do you like it?" Ryan asked her.

                "It's beautiful, I love it," Andi said fervently. "But oh, Ryan…if you're married, and we get tapped by different companies, how will we…" She trailed off, because he was smiling.

                "Uncle Jason said the ABT called today, they want me. They're based here in New York City, so I won't have to make that decision for a few more years. Four, to be exact. You'll be at Julliards as a student for at least three more years, and after that, well, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. But I won't go anywhere without you."

                "Why? Why would you make that kind of a sacrifice for me?" Andi was awed.

                Ryan kissed her forehead. "Because I love you, Baby. And because, after all you've been through, you deserve to have someone at your side who loves you unconditionally, like I do."

                They ate their dinner, and then their waitress brought out a small cake that read, 'Happy engagement!' Her eyes twinkled as she set it down. "Compliments of the house," she said, and departed. Rose and Devon both laughed, and the cake was shared between the four of them.

                "Oh, God, I'm stuffed," Andi said as they left the restaurant. Ryan grinned and led their little group out to his car. It wasn't till they were in the car that Rose said hesitantly, 'I don't want to rain on anyone's parade, but I do have a question. If you're engaged now, are you going to want to move in together? 'Cause if you are, I have to find another apartment."

                "I honestly don't know," Andi said, surprised. "Oh, Rose, I'm sorry. I don't know. Yes, I do want to move in with Ryan, but I don't know what to do with our apartment. Let me think about it, let me see what I can do."

                "I have an idea," Ryan said, reaching down to the console to turn the radio down so they could all hear him. "Andi, why don't you move in with me, and my little brother can move in with Rose? He's been trying to find a roommate for a while now--"

                "**_LOOK OUT!_**" Andi screamed suddenly, but it was too late.

                Another car, a black SUV, had been driving erratically up the other side of the road. Andi had been watching the weaving, bobbing headlights coming up the road, thanking God that the drunk behind the wheel was going slow enough to give anyone in the way time to get out. But as the car came within a hundred yards, the drunk driver behind the wheel floored the gas pedal, and the car leaped forward. It went straight over the centerline, and although Ryan twisted the wheel frantically, trying to aim the small blue Chevy toward the other lane, the other car came on too fast. 

                The black Jeep crashed into the Chevy's body just behind the rear drivers' side door. Metal screamed as it sheared inward, and Devon died almost instantly as the twisted metal pierced his body and ripped him apart. Rose died as the impact smashed the Chevy's back passenger side into a telephone pole at the side of the road, and the car spun over into a ditch. The driver of the Jeep, with a blood alcohol level almost two points over the legal limit, died as his SUV, tangled with the blue Chevy, rolled forward into the ditch.

                Twisted metal pushed inward, ripping into Ryan's body, and he barely had time for a scream of agony as the aluminum bars in front of his door pierced his stomach, kidneys, and liver. He heard Andi scream beside him, but he was already unconscious when the telephone pole they had collided with broke from the impact of two heavy vehicles hitting it, and fell, almost in slow motion, down toward the untouched portion of the car' the front passenger side. It fell with a crash onto the front right quarter panel, caving the metal of the car there and driving jagged shards of twisted metal and wooden splinters into the legs of the girl trapped there. Andi felt the incredible pain as her legs broke like matchsticks, and then, as she reached out to her unconscious beloved, in the front seat beside her with metal buried in his abdomen, agony overwhelmed her and she spiraled down into darkness. 


	10. The Hospital Again

Chapter 10 

                The phone's ring cut through the sound of yelling and cheering as Bobby's favorite basketball team scored a point. Jean covered her ears against the noise, made her way across the messy Rec Room, and picked up the phone. "Xavier Institute," she said.

                An unfamiliar voice came on over the line. "This is Officer Howard Young of the NYPD," he said. "Is Miss Ororo Munroe around?"

                Jean felt a trickle of icewater run down her spine. Why would the police be looking for Ororo at this time of night unless… **Quiet!** She screamed telepathically, and telekinetically muted the TV. "She's asleep. Should I get her, or can I take a message?"

                "We need to talk to her. It's urgent. It's about her ward, Alexandra." 

                Upstairs in her room, Ororo woke immediately as Jean prodded her telepathically. **'Ro. There's someone on the phone for you, an Officer Howard Young, and he says it's urgent.**

Ororo picked up the phone upstairs, puzzled. "Hello?" she said into the mouthpiece. "This is Ororo Munroe."

                "Miss Munroe, there was a terrible accident earlier involving your ward, Alexandra. A drunk driver apparently crashed into their car out on the highway; three people were killed--"

                Ororo screamed. Andi…

                Still on the phone in the Rec Room, Jean reached out mentally. Remy had gone to bed earlier that evening with a headache. **Remy!** She woke him.

                _Not so loud, chere, _Remy hauled himself upright in bed. _Jean, what's wrong?_

                **The police just called for 'Ro. Andi's been in an accident. 'Ro's almost collapsing, Remy, can you…?**

                _I'm goin'. _Remy flew out of his room and ran up the attic stairs.

                Ororo had crumpled on her bed, crying, and Remy's heart wrenched as he saw her grief. The phone swung from its cord, forgotten as Ororo cried. There was a frantic voice saying, "Miss Munroe? Miss Munroe?"

                Remy sat down on the bed beside Ororo and pulled her in his arms, then reached for the phone. "Dis is Remy. I'm a frien' of 'Ro's."

                "I'm sorry for how that came out," said the officer. "Alexandra isn't dead, she's just badly hurt. We need Miss Munroe to come to the hospital and see if she can identify any of the people who died."

                "Andi is not…"

                "Non, non," Remy said, smoothing her hair. "She hurt, but she not dead. Remy take you to de hospital. Come on. Get dressed." He spoke into the phone again. 'We be down dere soon, Officer. T'ank you for calling."

                "We'll be waiting." And the line went dead.

                Jean hung up the phone, staring into thin air as she sank down into the chair beside the Rec Room's phone. Oh God. She hoped, fervently, that Andi wasn't hurt too badly, and that the girl would survive. She had to talk to Charles, and…Emma. Emma love Andi, in her own way. She had to be told, too. Jean slowly picked the phone up and dialed Emma's number.

                Emma answered on the fourth ring. "Yes?"

                Jean took a deep breath. "Emma, it's Jean--"

                Emma cut her off. "Look, it's almost midnight. Can we do this tomorrow?" 

                Jean gritted her teeth, but kept going. "Emma, listen to me. Stop shouting. It's about Andi." Silence.

                Then, "What about Andi?"

                Jean said quietly, "There was a car accident. The officer said a drunk driver crossed the road and hit the car Andi and her friends were in. They pulled three bodies out of the wreckage. Andi's still alive, though. I…I thought you should know."

                Another silence, shorter this time. Then, "I'm sorry for snapping at you. Which hospital?"

                Jean let out the breath she didn't even realize she was holding. "Manhattan General. Remy's taking 'Ro there."

                "I'll meet them there." Jean was almost ready to hang up when Emma's voice came again, softly. "Thank you, Jean. And, Jean? I'm sorry." Then the line went silent.

                Jean hung up the phone. She sat for a moment, silent, then reached out for the sleeping mind that was Charles's, and nudged him awake. **Charles?**

*                                                              *                                                              *

                The hospital staff pointed Remy and Ororo through the Emergency Room doors as soon as they came in. They didn't need to ask; there were only two critical patients that evening, and this was the second set of frantic people coming in. 

                "We're here for Andi…for Alexandra Munroe," Remy informed the nurse at the emergency room desk. She pointed them toward three uniformed officers who were deep in discussion with two other frantic people. Ororo crossed the room toward them.

                "Miss Munroe, I presume?" said one man. Ororo nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

                "Your daughter's in emergency surgery at this moment; I don't have any news on her condition. I'm really sorry, Miss--"

                "What happened?" Ororo cut in. Normally she wouldn't be this rude, but this was Andi they were talking about…

                "I was just getting to that. A man in a black SUV was driving drunk down the road. A passing motorist called us to let us know he was weaving all over the road, but by the time we got a patrol unit there, the accident had already happened. The SUV crashed into the left rear door of the blue Chevy Malibu your daughter and three of her friends were driving in. The boy sitting there was killed instantly; the second girl, sitting behind the front passenger, died when the car's back end slammed into a telephone pole. The pole fell across the front passenger side of the car; Alexandra was sitting there when it fell. When we got the pole off that side of the car and the paramedics pulled her out, her legs looked pretty bad." Ororo choked back sobs, and turned to bury her face in Remy's shoulder.

                The officer turned to the other couple. "Mrs. Harper, Mr. Matthews, your boy was injured when the metal from the outside of the car was pushed inwards by the force of the impact. Ryan sustained damage to his internal organs when the metal cut into his abdomen. Both children are still alive, and the doctors are doing everything they can do to save them."

                Ororo turned to Linda Harper, who also had tears in her eyes. "You are Ryan's mother, then?"

                Linda reached out and embraced Ororo numbly, tears streaming down her face. "And you're Andi's. I'm so sorry, Miss Munroe. If I'd suggested any other place, any other restaurant, maybe this might not have happened."

                "What?" Ororo pulled back to look at the other woman.

                Linda wiped her eyes, but the tears didn't stop coming. "Ryan bought Andi a ring. He was going to propose to her tonight. I suggested the Kiss Café to him, as a place to go after the performance tonight so he could propose. I wish I'd made reservations somewhere else, anywhere else, but there. Maybe this wouldn't have happened.

                Ororo hugged the other woman. "It is not your fault. Do not feel responsible."

                The door to Emergency opened, and two more people came through; Ororo recognized them as the Dawsons. The officer took them aside for a few words of explanation, and Ororo winced as Rose's mother screamed in terrible grief and collapsed. She was sorry for the other woman…but at the same time, felt guilty because she was glad it was Rose, and not Andi.

*                                                              *                                                              *

                Linda, Ororo, Jason, and Remy stood as a doctor clad in bloodstained surgical scrubs came tiredly through the door. He addressed himself to Ryan's mother and uncle first. "Mr and Mrs. Harper…"

                "Mr. Matthews," Jason corrected. "Ryan's father died of cancer a few years back. Ryan's mother is my sister; Ryan and his brother are my nephews."

                "Well, Ryan's injuries were severe. He's lost a lot of blood, and if the police and paramedics hadn't reached him so quickly we would have lost him. He's still alive," he said quickly, seeing Linda's anguished face. "But he's in a deep coma. I don't know when he's going to awaken; his brain activity is minimal." He held up a hand to stop Ryan's mother, and turned to Ororo. "Your daughter's alive. She's sedated for the moment, you can see her when they transfer her to intensive care upstairs. 

                "Both her legs were shattered and her hips were broken when the telephone pole fell over the portion of car she was sitting in. Alexandra has hairline fractures in her ribs, and she sustained numerous internal injuries. We have her in a cast right now from her waist to her toes, and metal pins holding her hips together. We aren't sure she'll make a complete recovery, considering how fragile her bones were. I hear she's a dancer?" Ororo nodded numbly.

                "Her dancing career's over, I'm afraid," the doctor said sorrowfully. "Her legs will never be strong enough to handle the stress again. She may, eventually, be able to walk again, but that is a very optimistic view. And she's always going to need some type of assistance. I'm thinking a wheelchair at the very least, although braces or crutches might be a possibility if she recovers that much."

                He turned back to Linda. "Your son's body will recover completely. If or when he comes out of his coma he'll be able to resume regular activity; but right now I can't say when that will be. He still has measurable brain activity, and he's got a strong heartbeat. Would you like to see your kids?"

                Linda nodded, and Ororo nodded. The doctor took them up in the elevator, and showed Linda and Jason into one room, then took Ororo and Remy down the hall a little further and showed them into another room.

                Andi lay there, pale and still, her face frozen. There were so many tubes and needles and things going into so many parts of her body she looked like a doll wired to a machine that was supposed to reanimate her. Ororo wished that were true. She wished Andi would just rise up out of that bed, whole and happy, smiling, telling her that it was all a joke, a mistake, and she was fine. But it was just wishful thinking, and Ororo knew it. Andi might never get up from that bed; and it was all the fault of some drunk driver who would never see the faces of his victims, whose lives he'd never know he ruined, because he was dead. It seemed monumentally unfair to Ororo.

                She sat down in a chair beside Andi's bed, taking the limp, pale hand. Her hands brushed up against an unfamiliar hardness on the girl's finger, and she looked down. The sparkling diamond winked back at her, a promise of hope and love that now might never come true. And then the full reality of it all hit Ororo, and she bowed her head over Andi's hand and began to cry. Remy came over to her, whispering words of sorrow and regret in French into her ear, and she leaned against his shoulder and soaked his shirt with her tears.


	11. A Long Road Ahead

Chapter 11 

                Andi woke slowly.

                Her head felt like it was stuffed with cotton; she couldn't think fast, or straight. She knew her legs were there, but she couldn't feel them. She opened her eyes to see if they were still there, and to figure out where she was. And the first thing she saw was her Mom's head lying on the bed over her hand; and across the room, Remy was stretched out on the couch snoring like a buzz saw. She gave a weak giggle at the sounds he was making, and the bed's slight vibration woke Ororo up.

                She sat up, rubbed her eyes, then saw Andi's eyes open, and almost cried with relief. Her eyes followed Andi's gaze across the room and saw her looking at Remy's somnolent form, and she gave a soft laugh. When she looked back at Andi her eyes weren't quite dry. "He does snore a bit," she said. "Andi, how are you feeling?"

                Andi closed her eyes, took stock of her body. Everything below her waist was floating; she couldn't feel anything. Above the waist, everything was fine. "Nothing hurts," she said. "But Mom…I can't feel my legs…what happened…" she started to struggle to sit upright as memory returned. "The accident…oh God, Mom, the accident…what happened…Mom, where's Ryan? And Rose?"

                Ororo tugged the covers back. "You can't feel your legs because of the casts they put on them. Your legs were broken in several places, and your hips were broken--"

                Andi brushed that aside impatiently. "What about Ryan, Mom? And Rose?" She looked at Ororo, and her heart dropped into her stomach. "Oh, no. Oh, Mom, please, no…"

                Ororo gripped Andi's hand. "Rose died, Andi," she said quietly. "Ryan is in a coma. He is doing all right, but they are not sure when he is going to wake up. Rose's friend Devon died also. And the man driving the car that struck you died too."

                Andi's eyes filled with tears. "No! Oh, God, no, no, no…"and she dissolved into tears. Ororo sat down on the bed and leaned over Andi, doing what she could to let the girl cry on her shoulder. "Ryan, oh, no, Ryan, Rose, Devon…Ryan…"

                Andi's heartbreak was so overwhelmingly plain Ororo felt like crying too. Andi was a quiet girl; she didn't talk about herself much. In the months since she'd started going to Julliard, Ororo had only had a chance to talk to her several times, and Andi had gone on about her friends, her schoolwork, and her dancing. Ororo hadn't known things had gotten this far between Andi and Ryan. The diamonds on Andi's finger had been a shock; Linda Harper had said that Ryan was going to propose, and Andi must have accepted if she was wearing the ring.

                Andi cried until she was exhausted, and then Ororo helped her lie back on the bed, still sniffling. "Oh Mom," she sobbed. "Ryan and Rose and Devon and I were coming back from the Kiss Café from an engagement dinner. Ryan proposed…and he gave me this ring--" she held out her hand and examined it, "and we were going down the road when I saw this big black SUV coming up the other side of the road. It was weaving all over the road, but it was going really slow, and I thought we would be okay, I thought we'd have enough time to get out of the way. And then all of a sudden when it was about two car lengths in front of us the driver stepped on the gas pedal, and the car just shot forward. I tried to warn Ryan…he was driving…but the other car was coming too fast. I heard Devon scream as the car slammed into Ryan's car where he was sitting, and then the impact pushed our car's tail into the foot of a telephone pole or something. I heard Rose scream, Mom, and then she went quiet, and Devon too, but I was trying to get to Ryan and I didn't know they were dead. And then I heard this really loud crack, and then there was this terrible awful pain in my legs, and everything went black." She looked at Ororo. "What happened?"

                Ororo told her what the police had learned in the four days since the accident. "About ten minutes before the accident happened, a motorist driving by saw the car that hit you weaving all over the road. They called 911 and told the police that an intoxicated driver was going down the road. The dispatcher sent a patrol officer down to pick up the drunk driver. He came up just moments after the accident. A passing motorist saw the wreckage, and was worried that the cars might burst into flames, so they pulled Ryan out while the officer called for an ambulance.  Two ambulances came, one for you, and one for Ryan. You were both brought here. Ryan sustained severe trauma to his abdomen, but the doctor says he'll recover fully as soon as he wakes up." She paused, knowing what Andi was going to ask next.

                "Did the doctor say when I could go back to dancing?"

                Ororo swallowed hard. "Your legs were broken in three places, and your hips are broken as well. The doctor says you will be in the cast for two weeks."

                "So when can I get back to dancing?"

                Ororo took a deep breath. "You cannot, Andi. The doctor says your legs will not be able to tolerate the stress of dancing."

                "You mean…I can't dance again? Ever?"

                "It is highly unlikely," Ororo said softly, wishing there was some way of softening the blow for Andi. "You will be in a wheelchair for months, and then it will be braces afterward. The doctor does not think you will recover to the point where you can walk without assistance of some kind."

                "No more dancing…oh, no, oh, God," and here came the tears again, falling down her cheeks hard and fast. This time, when Ororo bent over her, Andi turned away, curling in on herself as best she could, and mourned for herself silently, alone. Ororo stood next to her bed, feeling helpless, then felt Remy's hand on her shoulder. She had been so wrapped up in her talk with Andi she'd never heard Remy's buzz saw snoring stop.

                "She need to grieve, chere," Remy said quietly into Ororo's ear. "Leave her 'lone now. Later we come back when she ready to talk." He and Ororo left the room silently.

*                                                              *                                                              *

                Emma sat by the boy's bed for a long time in the dark. She normally wouldn't do this; but this boy was important to Andi, and she felt like she had to make the effort. She closed her eyes, rested a hand gently on the boy's forehead, and slipped gently into the upper layers of Ryan's consciousness. There was nothing; all was dark, and blank. She burrowed deeper, searching for that faint spark that was Ryan's consciousness, and finding nothing.

                Finally she drew back, let her hand fall to her lap, and sighed, resting her forehead on her folded arm. There was nothing; nothing that she could see. She allowed herself a moment to mourn, privately, for Ryan, then got up and slipped out of the room.

                She ran into Ororo and Remy outside in the hall. Oror's eyes were red, as though she had been crying. "Andi woke up," she said quietly to Emma's questioning glance. "She asked about Ryan and Rose. I had to tell her. And then she asked about her dancing, and I had to tell her she will never dance again. And she fell apart."

                Emma reached out, feeling for Andi telepathically. She was still crying, but she was exhausted, and she was slipping into sleep. "She's cried herself to sleep," Emma said. "Come on, there's nothing else to be done here."

                They turned and started walking back out to the elevators. "So what happens now?" Emma said.

                "I have to go pack up Andi's things, and Remy will drive her car back to the mansion. Andi will need all the help she can get after she gets out, because she has a lot of recovery and therapy to go through, and it will be easier for me to help her if she stays at the mansion. Also, with Evan and the other children in residence, maybe having them around will help her get over her grief."

                Emma gave a small smile. "Yes, your nephew does have that 'chase the clouds away' personality, doesn't he? Well, if there is anything you need, please tell me, although I can't imagine anything that could come up that Charles or Jean couldn't handle."

                "I will," Ororo said as they got out to the parking lot. "Thank you, Emma."

                Remy watched Emma's retreating back as the former White Queen got into her car. "She got a good heart, dat one," he said quietly to Ororo. "She don' show it dat often, but she got a good heart." He opened the passenger side door for Ororo, gallantly, then got behind the wheel. "Andi's apartment?" he said.

                Ororo nodded, and they drove off.

*                                                              *                                                              *

                That's it for book three.

                There will be another book in this series, but I'm not sure when. Andi will recover, completely, though she won't return to dancing. She'll have more important things to do; helping Emma run Frost Enterprises, for one; marrying Ryan, for another. And I haven't decided yet, but maybe a little girl might make an appearance too! Life's done running her through its mill; now see how she finally becomes a settled, happy woman! 

                The next book you will see up here is 'Fire and Ice.' I don't know when I'll start putting that up; it may not be for a while, as I'm currently in the middle of doing taxes and arranging to move (a one-bedroom apartment really isn't big enough for me, Hubby, and my two kids, especially as my nine month old son is starting to cruise. Another couple of months will see him walking, and there's simply not enough room here to have two toddlers zooming around. (My oldest son is twenty months old.)

                I may stop posting for a while until the dust from moving settles, but while I do that, I'm trying to find a site on which to put up the first couple chapters of my novel. If anyone out there has a fanfiction site on which I can post 'Power Squared' (I can't post it on ff.net due to the content and language) let me know via E-mail, and I'll be happy to send what I have so far.

Thanks for reading, and look for me in the future!

Jaenelle


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